Juffair is a suburban neighborhood of Manama, Bahrain. It was originally a separate village inhabited by Shia Muslims but it has been absorbed by the suburban expansion of Manama, and also includes large parts of land reclaimedfrom the sea. It is now home to many hotels, restaurants, flats, and villas. In fact, Juffair is built on a massive land reclamation scheme which has extended Bahrain's coastline by two kilometers to the east. The area is the site of frenetic building activity, with new apartment buildings and hotels constructed each year. Most of those who live in the area are established foreigners or upwardly mobile young Bahrainis. It is also the site of Bahrain's largest mosque, the huge domed Al Fateh Mosque, which houses the new National Library. All Bahraini road calculations are made from the Grand Mosque — Zero Point. A British naval installation known as HMS Juffair was established near old Juffair village on April 13, 1935 in the area where ASU-SWA is located today. In 1950, the United States Navy leased office space aboard HMS JUFFAIR from the British. In 1971, after their treaty expired, the British leftBahrain, granting the island total independence. The United States, through agreement with the Bahraini government, took over part of HMS JUFFAIR, renaming it Administrative Support Unit Bahrain, subsequently Naval Support Activity Bahrain. The offices of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Central Informatics Organization, Bahrain Society of Engineers, and the Bahrain Tribune newspaper are all located in Juffair. The Bahrain School and Modern Knowledge School are both also located in Juffair. There is a new commercial road in Juffair that houses many restaurants and retail outlets, such as McDonald's, Chili's, Nando's, Asian Zyng, Dairy Queen, Hardee's, Starbucks, Abraj Grills, and Burger King, etc. Near the entrance of Juffair, there is a building called Murjan Shopping Center that has a large supermarket, a restaurant, Post Office, and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee shop. The American Naval Support Center is located Juffair. Juffair also houses the American Navy Base in Bahrain, which has both, directly and indirectly, raised the bar for the construction and development companies working in the area as they have their own building safety requirements; the workers in the base constitute a remarkable percentage of the area's population. Many Westerners live in Juffair.
