Bahrain renames former Pearl Roundabout

Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
May 29, 2011

Manama: Bahrain has renamed the area of the former Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Roundabout, popularly known as the Pearl Roundabout, as the Al Farooq Junction.

The 300-foot monument, six swords representing the six GCC countries holding a pearl at the top, erected in 1982 in tribute to the GCC as Bahrain hosted, for the first time, the annual Gulf summit, was turned into the epicenter of demonstrations and protests in February and March.

However, the authorities on March 18 demolished the monument and removed the huge roundabout, replacing it with a crisscross of roads where the movement of vehicles is to be controlled by traffic lights.

In comments about the demolition of the roundabout, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, said that the monument had been brought down because "it was a bad memory."

"We are not waging war, we are restoring law and order," Shaikh Khalid said.

The roundabout was used initially as a symbol of Manama, the capital, but was superseded in 2008 by the Bahrain World Trade Center, the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design.

Source: Gulf News.
Link: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-renames-former-pearl-roundabout-1.814302.