When was pearl roundabout built

The Pearl Roundabout is gone. The six twisted arms of the sculpture meant to be dhow sails that held the concrete Pearl in place symbolized the different emirates that together form the Gulf Cooperation Council.

More recently, the site had become the focal point of ongoing anti-government protests and violence unleashed against these civilian protestors by both Bahraini and GCC security forces. Because of these protests, the site had experienced a re-signification of meaning for Bahrainis, the Arab world, and the international community.

The Central Bank of Bahrain reportedly asked banks to exchange their half-dinar coins for half-dinar banknotes after the Pearl Monument was destroyed. The coin is no longer minted or distributed by the Central Bank of Bahrain. The Pearl Roundabout was the site of demonstrations during , which began in February. After demolishing the Pearl Monument, the government announced that the roundabout would be replaced with traffic lights, possibly to ease congestion in the financial district. The government changed the name of the site to Al Farooq Junction, a reference to Umar ibn al-Khattab, a historical figure revered by Muslims.

The name of Al Farooq was given to the junction as well as the military operation by Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the head of security forces and a member of the royal family. On 25 February , the public has been restricted from accessing Al Farooq Junction.

The area has been sealed off by security forces since protesters were cleared from the Pearl Roundabout on 16 March On 14 June , the junction was open for public. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.

However, at AM on 17 February, Bahraini security forces violently raided the gathering, killing and wounding protesters. By 19 February, demonstrators returned to the site and reoccupied the Roundabout until 16 March, when the security forces — bolstered by a contingent of Saudi and Emirati personnel-again attacked.

This time authorities barricaded the area, preventing protesters from returning. On 18 March, the Bahraini government demolished the Pearl Roundabout, which had by then become a symbol for democracy in Bahrain and a focal point of the movement. Six years later, on 14 June , Bahraini authorities officially reopened the site of the Pearl Roundabout.

Yet the importance of the symbolism was not lost on them. Moreover, the authorities have made such claims to distract from an ongoing campaign to obscure and delegitimize the core symbols of democratic reform and the human rights movement in Bahrain.