Manama: Saudis topped the list of foreigners who owned property in Bahrain, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs.
Out of the 1,050 properties owned by non-Bahrainis, 483 belonged to nationals from Saudi Arabia, while 314 were owned by Kuwaitis.
Qataris with 70 properties are followed by UAE nationals with 63 properties and Omanis with 45 deeds, the ministry said in its reply to a question by Al Wefaq MP Abdullah Al A'ali.
In the category of non-Gulf nationals, Britons own 20 properties, followed by Indians with 12 and Egyptians with six.
Iranians, who have been at the centre of a bitter controversy about an alleged politically-motivated campaign to purchase lands and real estate in Muharraq, Bahrain's second largest city, to change its demography, own only two properties, less than the Americans who have five properties.
However, the ministry yesterday refused to divulge the names of the property owners as requested by the MP, saying that it was personal information that could not be disclosed.
"We cannot reveal the names because it would be a violation of the constitution which guarantees people's privacy," Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Khalifa, the justice and Islamic affairs, said in his reply.
The lawmaker had requested the full names and locations of the property owned by non-Bahrainis amid calls by several MPs to limit foreign ownership and control prices.
The country in 1999 allowed Gulf nationals to own real estate, and the privilege was extended to foreigners in 2001.
