First Oil Well in the Gulf: 51 Great Things About Bahrain

#19 First Oil Well in the Gulf

The first oil well in Bahrain was discovered in 1932 below Jabel Al-Dukhan, making the Kingdom the first country in the Gulf to discover oil. Well#1 as it’s popularly known was discovered and operated by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

Oil first spurted from the well on 16th October 1931. It began to blow heads of oil on the morning of 2nd June 1932 with an initial flow rate of 400 barrels per hour. The well produced approximately 70,000 barrels per day by the 1970s. It then stabilized at 35,000 barrels per day.

This article is part of an ongoing series – 51 Great Things About Bahrain as a tribute to the Kingdom’s 51st National Day. Read more in this special edition.