Baharna

Template:Bahranis infobox The Baharna (singular Bahrani, Template:Lang-ar) are the indigenous inhabitants of the archipelago of Bahrain and the oasis of Qatif on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia (see historical region of Bahrain). The term is sometimes also extended to the Shi'a inhabitants of the al-Hasa oasis. They are all Arabic speaking, and claim descent from Arab tribes. Their dialect of Arabic is known as "Bahrani" or "Bahrani Arabic," and they are overwhelmingly adherents of Shia Islam.

Name

The term Bahrani serves to distinguish the Bahrani people from other Shi'i in the region, such as the relatively recent immigrants from Iran who fall under the term Ajam, as well as from the Sunni immigrants in Bahrain who prefer the term Bahrayni or Ahl el-Bahrayn ("people of Bahrain"). In previous centuries, the term "Bahrani" often referred to any Arab inhabitant of the larger historical region of Bahrain.

Etymology

In Arabic, bahrayn is the dual form of bahr ("sea"), so al-Bahrayn means "the Two Seas". However, which two seas were originally intended remains in dispute. The term appears five times in the Qur'an, but does not refer to the modern island—originally known to the Arabs as "Awal"—but rather to the oases of al-Katif and Hadjar (modern al-Hasa). It is unclear when the term began to refer exclusively to the Awal islands, but it was probably after the 15th century.

Today, al-Hasa is a part of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain's "two seas" are instead generally taken to be the bay east and west of the island, the seas north and south of the island, or the salt and fresh water present above and below the ground. In addition to wells, there are places in the sea north of Bahrain where fresh water bubbles up in the middle of the salt water, noted by visitors since antiquity.

An alternate theory offered by al-Ahsa was that the two seas were the Great Green Ocean and a peaceful lake on the mainland; still another provided by al-Jawahari is that the more formal name Bahri (lit. "belonging to the sea") would have been misunderstood and so was opted against.

History

The Baharna are the oldest inhabitants of the region of Bahrain formerly comprising the Eastern Coast of the Arabian Peninsula, al-Ahsa, al-Qatif, and island of Awal, today known as Bahrain. The Baharna are descended from Arabian tribes who had lived in the region since pre-Islamic times; prominent among them in those times were the tribes of Banu Abdul Qays and Rabi`ah. Until Bahrain embraced Islam in 629, it was a center for Nestorian Christianity. In the early 7th Century, Bahrain became one of the first places in Arabia to become an Islamic state, despite its great distance from Muhammad's location in Medina. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, most of the Baharna became Shia and they remained so until this day. The Shia Arabs of Bahrain are closely related to the Shia of Qatif, and even speak a similar dialect. They live in Manama, almost all the villages of the main island of Bahrain, several villages in the island of Muharraq in the North and in the island of Sitra to the east. They speak similar dialects, with slight variations between villages, although the villages of Sitra have dialects which differ considerably from those of the main island. Fishing, palm tree farming and pearl diving were the traditional economic activities of the Baharna. There are also Shia Arabs concentrated in several neighborhoods in Muharraq City. These are distinct from the Shia villages outside the city proper. As a result of their proximity to surrounding Sunni Arabs and Africans, they speak a modified version of Gulf Arabic, locally known as "Sunni" or the "Sunni dialect".

Before the advent of the oil industry, the Bahrana mostly engaged in agriculture, including the cultivation of date palms, fishing, and pearl diving, as well as a host of other cottage industries, such as basket weaving and pottery. Unlike their Bedouin neighbors, the people of this region led a settled lifestyle, as they had access to abundant freshwater springs and long coastal lines, rich with fish, shrimp, and oysters. The pearling industry involved a variety of other business activities, such as ship building (with distinctive styles of dhows) and trade with Africa, Iran, the Indian subcontinent, some parts of Indochina, and Indonesia.

The historical region of Bahrain on a 1745 Bellin map.

Bet Qatraye

Bet qatraye sometimes also called (the isles) was the ecclesiastical province Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar several Christian settlements, both monasteries and churches, and have now been found within the province, including two in Kuwait, two more in Saudi Arabia, and at least one in Qatar

By the 5th century, the Bet Qatraye was a major centre for Nestorian Christianity (which had come to dominate the southern shores of the Persian Gulf), with Samahij being the seat of bishops. It was a center of Nestorian Christianity until al-Bahrain adopted Islam in 629. As a sect, the Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire, but Bahrain was outside the Empire's control offering some safety. The names of several of Muharraq Island’s villages today reflect this Christian legacy, with Al Dair meaning “the monastery” or "the parish."

In 410, according to the Oriental Syriac Church synodal records, a bishop named Batai was excommunicated from the church in Bahrain. It was also the site Bahrain of worship of a shark deity called Awal. Worshippers reputedly built a large statue to Awal in Muharraq, although it has now been lost, and for many centuries after Tylos, the islands of Bahrain were known as ‘Awal’..

Islam

From the time when Islam emerged in the 7th century until the early 16th century, the name Bahrain referred to the wider historical region of Bahrain stretching from Basrah to the Strait of Hormuz along the Persian Gulf coast.

Bahrainis were amongst the first to embrace Islam. The Prophet Mohammed ruled Bahrain through one of his representatives, Al-Ala'a Al-Hadhrami. Bahrain embraced Islam in 629 (the seventh year of hijra). During the time of Umar I the famous companion of the Prophet Muhammad, Abu Hurayrah, was the governor of Bahrain. Umar I also appointed Uthman bin Abi Al Aas as governor of the area. Al Khamis Mosque, founded in 692, was one of the earliest mosques built in Bahrain, in the era of Umayyad caliph Umar II.

The expansion of Islam did not affect Bahrain's reliance on trade, and its prosperity continued to be dependent on markets in Mesopotamia. After Baghdad emerged as the seat of the caliph in 750 and the main centre of Islamic civilization, Bahrain greatly benefited from the city's increased demand for foreign goods especially from China and South Asia.

Bahrain became a principal centre of knowledge for hundreds of years stretching from the early days of Islam in the 6th century to the 18th century. Philosophers of Bahrain were highly esteemed, such as the 13th century mystic, Sheikh Maitham Al Bahrani (died in 1299). (The mosque of Sheikh Maitham and his tomb can be visited in the outskirts of the capital, Manama, near the district of Mahooz.).

Uyunid dynasty

Main article: Uyunid dynasty

Shi'a Muslims in Bahrain strike their chests during the mourning

The Al Uyuni, Uyunids (Arabic: العيوني و العيونيون‎), were a Shi'a dynasty that ruled the Bahrain for 163 years, from the 11th to the 13th centuries. They were the remnants of Bani Abdul Qays tribe and seized the country from the Qarmatians with the help of Great Seljuq Empire in the year 1077-1078 AD. It then fell into a state by Usfurids of Bani Aqil Amer bin Sasah year 651 AH (1253 AD). From them is the famous poet Ali bin al Mugrab Al Uyuni.

Usfurid dynasty

Main article: Usfurids

Bahrani Man

The Usfurids were an Arab dynasty that in 1253 gained control of eastern Arabia, including the islands of Bahrain, They were a branch of the Banu Uqayl tribe of the Banu Amir group, and are named after the dynasty’s founder, Usfur ibn Rashid. They were initially allies of the Qarmatians and their successors, the Uyunids, but eventually overthrew the latter and seized power themselves. The Usfurids' takeover came after Uyunid power had been weakened by invasion in 1235 by the Salgharid Atabeg of Fars.

Jarwanid dynasty

Main article: Jarwanid dynasty

Bahrani Woman

The Jarwanid Dynasty was a Shia dynasty that ruled the Province of Bahrain in the 14th century. It was founded by Jerwan I bin Nasser and was based in Qatif. The dynasty was a vassal of the Kingdom of Ormus.

The Jarwanids belonged to the clan of Bani Malik. It is disputed whether they belonged to the Banu Uqayl—the tribe of their predecessors the Usfurids and their successors the Jabrids—or to the Banu Abdul Qays, to whom the Uyunid dynasty (1076–1235) belonged. The Jarwanids came to power some time in the 14th century, after expelling the forces of Sa'eed ibn Mughamis, the chief of the Muntafiq tribe based in the Iraqi city of Basrah.

Famous Bahrani people

Main article: List of Bahranis

The Baharna produced many well-known religious scholars, including Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsai (1753–1826) (founder of the Shaikhí school), Shaykh Maitham al-Bahrani (1238–1299), Shaykh Yusuf al-Bahrani (1695–1722) (one of the foremost Akhbari scholars), Abdullah al Samahiji (1675–1723), and Salih Al-Karzakani. Many religious scholars immigrated to Iran after the Bahrain islands were conquered by the Safavids in 1602 - for instance 17th century theologian and scholar, Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani was appointed by the Shah as court judge in Shiraz, although he initially left Bahrain to work in the Shi'a Indian kingdom of Golkonda. Many students and scholars settled, and still do today, in centers of Shi'ite scholarship, especially Najaf, Karbala, and Qom.

The singular term "al-Bahrani" and the plural term "al-Baharna" are also used as family names by individuals who have Bahrani ancestry, such as the Iraqi art historian Dr Zainab Bahrani.

See also

• History of Bahrain

Language and culture

• Bahrani Arabic
• Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia

Geography

• Bahrain (historical region)

Bahrani People

• List of Bahranis
• Baharna in Kuwait

External links

• The 1922 Bahrani uprising in Bahrain
• Rival Empires of Trade and Imami Shiism in Eastern Arabia, 1300-1800, Juan Cole, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 19, No. 2, (May 1987), pp. 177–203
• Al-Ahssa DNA Project