General Information » Facts & Figures » Social & Business Hours

Traditionally in Bahrain, social hours are Mediterranean in style. In general, people get up early, have an afternoon siesta, and stay up and eat late in the evening. With increasing commercial demands, this is changing to a certain extent, particularly in the sectors serving international interests.

Government hours are 07:30 to 14:30 from Saturday to Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are the official government (and almost all schools) days off. However, in the private sector, the hours and weekends are more varied. Most of the trading and manufacturing companies work a Saturday to Thursday afternoon week, with split-shift days, which are generally 08:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00.

Shop opening hours generally start and finish one hour later, but the newer shopping malls open from 10:00 to 22:00. Supermarkets are generally open from 08:00 to 22:00, but there are several 24 hour supermarkets, cold stores and pharmacies.

Local commercial banks work from 07:30 to 12:00 from Saturday to Wednesday and many branches are open from 15:30 to 17:30 during those afternoons. Most banks work from 07:30 to 12:00 on Thursdays. International banks follow similar working hours to local banks, but some have six-day coverage.

Working hours at embassies vary, but are generally from 08:00 till 14:00 from Saturday to Wednesday. Most have contact details on their answering machines for cases of emergency. In recent years there have been calls to move and regulate the weekend to Friday/Saturday, to work more in line with international timing, but it is likely that Bahrain will continue to have a split weekend.