Pearl Roundabout

Pearl Roundabout or Lulu Roundabout (Arabic: دوار اللؤلؤ(ة)‎ Dawwār al-luʾluʾ(ah), "Roundabout of the pearl(s)") was a roundabout located near the financial district of Manama, Bahrain. The roundabout was named after the pearl monument that previously stood on the site and was destroyed on March 18, 2011 by government forces as part of a crackdown on protesters during the Bahraini uprising (2011–present).

The roundabout was located in the heart of the capital Manama and was surrounded by the Bahrain Central Market, Marina, Pearl and City Center Roundabout as well the Abraj Al Lulu (Pearl Towers) apartment complex, which is named after the Pearl Monument. Also near the destroyed roundabout are some of the city's major remaining landmarks, including the Bahrain World Trade Center and the Bahrain Financial Harbour.

The roundabout served originally as a major traffic intersection for routes into the capital city, although it is now bypassed by a flyover and junction complex built as part of Bahrain's 2030 modernization plan.

The Pearl Monument previously stood in the center of the circle, having been erected in 1982 on the occasion of the third summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was hosted by Bahrain for the first time in Manama on November 9–11 of that year.

The Pearl Monument consisted of six dhow "sails" projecting up to the sky, which came together to hold a pearl at the top. The six sails designated the Gulf Cooperation Council's six member nations, while the pearl symbolized their united heritage and the country's famous history of pearl cultivation. At the base of the monument was a dodecagonal pool with fountain jets. The Pearl Monument is featured on the face of the Bahraini half-dinar coin, the highest value coin in Bahraini currency. The Central Bank of Bahrain reportedly asked banks to exchange their half-dinar coins for half-dinar banknotes after the Pearl Monument was destroyed. The coin is no longer minted or distributed by the Central Bank of Bahrain.

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