Another island towards the end of the causeway belongs to Bahrain and is simply known as Mother of Sleepiness (ام النعسان, Um al-Na'saan).

The idea of building a bridge linking Bahrain to the eastern region of Saudi Arabia had been of great interest to the two kingdoms for generations.

[3] The project to build the bridge began during an official visit to Bahrain in 1954 by King Saud; his wish was to nurture and further solidify the bonds between the two countries.

At the close of the visit, Fahd said that Saudi Arabia was seriously interested in constructing a land bridge that would connect the two countries.

[4] In 1965, plans to construct the causeway began to take form officially when Sheikh Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Khalifah, the prime minister of Bahrain, paid a courtesy visit to King Faisal at which time the king again expressed his wish to move forward.

As a result, the committee requested the World Bank contribute assistance to implement the mammoth-sized project including environmental and geographical aspects of the region.

[3] The idea of constructing the causeway was originally based on improving the cultural and social bonds between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

[8] As a decision by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the intervention included sending 1,000 (1,200)[9] troops with vehicles from Saudi Arabia[8] at the invitation of the Al-Khalifa ruling family.

[12] The causeway was constructed in three segments starting from Saudi Arabia: Strict quality control regimes were established to ensure durability of the structure.

With points including climate-controlled[citation needed] washrooms and meeting places, the average traveller can be better facilitated.

"It will feature an emergency room and ambulance to serve whoever is using the causeway – travelers or employees," he said, noting a Saudi health centre was also planned for 2011.

[7] The project also included expanded public utilities such as washrooms and mosques on both sides of the causeway, to be completed by the end of 2011.