Muharraq

Overview

Muharraq is an island in Bahrain, separated from the capital, Manama, by a narrow strip of water. Its airfield serves as Bahrain International Airport, while Khalifa Bin Salman Port is a site of maritime activity on the island. These facilities give Muharraq a role in civilian transport and regional security. Muharraq has also been the setting for disputes over religious representation and the protection of a Sufi grave. In 2026, Iranian missile and drone attacks brought casualties and damage to sites on the island.

Geography

Muharraq lies immediately across the water from Manama. Bahrain International Airport occupies the island’s airfield. During regional crises, that airfield has hosted U.S. military aircraft and aircraft from other Western countries alongside its civilian aviation role. Bahrain’s main military air base lies south of the international airport. The distinction matters: the airport airfield’s use by military aircraft does not make it the country’s principal military air base. Khalifa Bin Salman Port is another major facility in Muharraq; a U.S.-flagged products tanker was docked there when debris from an intercepted missile struck it in 2026.

Modern history

In 2004, Muharraq residents asked Bahrain’s Ministry of Information to arrange government television coverage of Shi’a Friday sermons. The request received no response. In March 2005, residents submitted another petition, seeking live broadcasts from Shi’a mosques. At the time, the government television station broadcast Friday sermons from Sunni mosques. The residents sought equivalent coverage for Shi’a congregations, and the ministry did not respond to the 2005 petition either. The requests concerned access to a state broadcaster rather than the conduct of worship inside the mosques.

Muharraq Cemetery contained the grave of Sufi leader Mohamed bin Ali Al Hejazi. In May 2015, individuals destroyed the grave after calls for its destruction appeared on social media. The incident concerned a burial site associated with a named religious figure. It was separate from the earlier dispute over televised sermons, but both events form part of Muharraq’s recent record of tensions involving religious expression and sites.

Security

Muharraq’s airport and port have long had importance beyond the island. U.S. and other Western military aircraft used its airfield during regional crises, while Bahrain’s separate main military air base remained to the south. In 2026, attacks by the Iranian regime and the interception of incoming missiles placed Muharraq’s civilian facilities and people at risk. The incidents included falling debris at the port and inside a university building, followed by an attack targeting fuel storage.

During the Iranian attacks of February 28–March 2, debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck Stena Imperative, a U.S.-flagged products tanker docked at Khalifa Bin Salman Port. The impact started a fire that was later extinguished. One shipyard worker was killed, and two others were seriously injured. The port strike was Bahrain’s most serious casualty event that day. The vessel was hit by debris from an interception, a distinction from a direct missile strike on the ship.

During the March 7–8 attacks, debris from another missile interception entered a university building in Muharraq and injured three people inside. The injuries showed that intercepting an incoming missile did not remove the danger from falling fragments in an inhabited area. Other Iranian attacks in Bahrain during the same period affected facilities and buildings in Manama, but the three injuries inside the university building occurred in Muharraq.

On March 12, Bahraini authorities identified a fuel tank in Muharraq as the target of an attack by the Iranian regime. A fire at fuel storage prompted warnings for nearby residents to remain indoors and close windows and ventilation openings because of smoke. Bahraini air defenses subsequently intercepted additional drones. Bahrain’s Defense Force announced interceptions of 13 drones and six ballistic missiles following the attack. The port, university and fuel-storage incidents involved different sites and different consequences: a death and serious injuries at the port, three injuries at the university, and a fire and smoke precautions near the fuel tank.

Present day

Muharraq remains the site of Bahrain International Airport and Khalifa Bin Salman Port, close to the capital across a narrow waterway. Its airport serves civilian travel while retaining a history of use by U.S. and other Western military aircraft during crises. The island’s recent history also includes residents’ unanswered requests for Shi’a sermon broadcasts, destruction of Mohamed bin Ali Al Hejazi’s grave, and casualties and fires associated with Iranian attacks in 2026. Together, these events place Muharraq within Bahrain’s civic, religious and security history.