Madinat 'Isa

Madinat 'Isa ("Isa Town") ( _ar. مدينة عيسى) is a middle class suburb in Bahrain in the north central part of the country. The name "Isa" refers to Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999.

Isa Town largely comprises affluent newly constructed villas, and is home to many members of Bahrain's educated middle classes. Many of its residents are of Huwala ancestry and speak a dialect of Persian as their first language. In 2002's election it was one of the few areas of Bahrain not to be entirely represented by an Islamist or right wing MP, with Abdnabi Salman of the formerly communist Democratic Bloc winning the seat. In 2006's election, ex-Harvard academic, Dr Munira Fakhro of Waad lost in controversial circumstances to Sunni Islamist Dr Salah Ali of Al-Menbar Islamic Society.

Isa Town is famous for the traditional marketplace. Isa Town also houses most of the private schools in Bahrain, with the "Indian School", "Pakistan Urdu School", "Sacred Heart School", "Ibn Khuldoon National School", "Pakistan School", the "Bahrain Bayan School", the [http://www.naseemschool.org "Naseem International School"] and the "St. Christopher's School", all concentrated into a small zone which also includes the Isa Town campus of the University of Bahrain. The "National Driving School" and the "Directorate of Road Traffic" have their headquarters in Isa Town. Other offices include the Ministry of Education and the "Ministry of Information", which includes the Bahrain Radio & TV broadcasting station, in Isa Town. Besides the market, the main landmark is the Bahrain National Stadium.

Saudi singer, Rashed Al-Majed, the Bahraini guitarist Khalid Al-Thawadi and the Brothers Band ( _ar. فرقة الأخوة) drummer, Wajeeh Hassan live in Madinat Isa.

It was one of the twelve municipalities of Bahrain after being split off of the municipality of al Mintaqah al Wusta in 1988, and is now part of the Central Governorate.