The Bahrain Synagogue — formally known as Beit Wosat al-Ashr, the House of Ten Commandments — sits on Sasa'ah Avenue in Manama's commercial district and is one of the only functioning synagogues in the Arabian Gulf. Bahrain's Jewish community has been present since the 1880s, when Jewish merchants and traders from Iraq and Iran settled here during the pearl trading era. The community grew to perhaps 1,500 people by the mid-20th century, employed across commerce, government services, and the professions. The synagogue was established to serve this community and has remained operational, though the congregation is now small — perhaps 30 to 40 families remain.
What distinguishes Bahrain's Jewish community from those in neighbouring countries is the continuity. There was no mass expulsion, no sudden flight. The community shrank gradually through emigration over decades, but the institutional and civic presence was maintained. Houda Nonoo, a Bahraini Jew, served as Bahrain's ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2013 — an appointment that drew international attention as an unusual signal in the context of Gulf-Israel relations. The synagogue is not a tourist attraction in the conventional sense and visitors should approach with discretion, but its existence and continued operation in this location is historically significant.