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156-590: It was once a successful center of global trade and pearl fishing positioned midway between the Strait of Hormuz and the west arm of the Persian Gulf . It is one of the most extensive and best-preserved examples of an 18th–19th century settlement in the region. The layout and urban fabric of the settlement have been preserved in a manner unlike any other settlements in the Persian Gulf, providing insight into

312-466: A ballast until they resurfaced, where the divers then untied the stones from their bodies. The divers would receive a slight break to eat and rest and continue this work until sundown, where they all presented their catch to the foreman, return to the ranchería to have some dinner, and then open the oyster shells. The divers were locked in their quarters at night by the Spaniards, who believed that if

468-651: A base for his son-in-law to attack Bahrain, but he renounced his plans after being warned by the British. At the request of Jassim bin Mohammed, several members of the Al Bin Ali, an Utub tribe, relocated from Bahrain to Zubarah in 1895 after renouncing their allegiance to the Bahraini sheikh. The Bahraini sheikh, fearful that Jassim bin Mohammed was preparing to launch an invasion, issued a warning to him and informed

624-437: A class of the tardigrade, have been found to occur in the area. Spiny-tailed lizards are the most prominent reptile species in the area. They are commonly spotted on vegetation. Mesalina brevirostris , a species of short-nosed lizard, is another reptile species that is densely scattered throughout the area. Zubarah was primarily an emporium and pearling settlement that capitalized on its proximity to pearl beds, possession of

780-748: A defeat, the Persians retreated to their ships. An Utub naval fleet from Kuwait arrived in Bahrain the same day, setting Manama ablaze. The Persian forces returned to the mainland to recruit troops for another attack, but the Utub ultimately overran their garrisons in Bahrain. It is well known that the strategist of this battle was Shaikh Nasr Al-Madhkur . His sword fell into the hands of Salama Bin Saif Al Bin Ali after his army collapsed and his forces were defeated. The Al Khalifa conquered and expelled

936-693: A desire to harvest Scotland's freshwater pearls. In 1621, the Kellie Pearl (or Kelly Pearl) - the largest freshwater pearl ever found in Scotland - was found in a tributary of the River Ythan in Aberdeenshire ; it was presented to King James VI , who had it set in the Crown of Scotland . Extensive fishing from the 16th to 19th centuries saw a large decline in pearl mussel numbers, resulting in

1092-415: A diving chief, oarsmen, and a foreman - moved on to the next oyster bed. To retrieve the pearls, the divers carried a small net that had one end tied to the boat and the other end tied to the fishing net. The shells that they extracted were usually placed in this basket, but for dives of greater depth, the divers also had to wear stones tied to their bodies as they submerged into the ocean. The stones acted as

1248-460: A doorway and a bent corridor , in order to avert unauthorized viewing into the household, and to prevent sand from blowing into the house. Traces of what seem to be tent placements and/or palm-leaf and palm-matt huts found near the beach may be associated with transient members of the Zubaran society. These interim dwellings likely housed the people who were the primary producers of Zubarah's wealth:

1404-551: A fort outside the town of Zubarah called Qal'at Murair (Murair Castle), the name is derived from a water spring in the Bani Sulaim area next to Madina Al Munawara in today's Saudi Arabia also known as Herat Bani Sulaim. The Al Khalifa were the original dominant group controlling the town of Zubarah on the Qatar peninsula, they were a politically important group that moved backward and forwards between Qatar and Bahrain, originally

1560-513: A functional self-governing town existed before the arrival of the Utub. It supported this claim by invoking two purported historical documents, but they were later discovered to be forgeries produced by Qatar in an attempt to gain leverage over Bahrain in their long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the town. Zubarah was founded and ruled by the Al Khalifa branch of Utub tribe, who migrated from Kuwait to Zubarah in 1732, helping to build

1716-475: A great pearl could sometimes purchase his freedom. The Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s made it hard to get good prices for pearl shell. The natural pearls found from harvested oysters were a rare bonus for the divers. Many fabulous specimens were found over the years. By the 1930s, over-harvesting had severely depleted the oyster beds. The US government was forced to strictly regulate

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1872-494: A large central courtyard, where the majority of daily activity took place. Typically, a portico opened out onto the courtyard on the south side, which offered shelter from the sun. The houses of Zubarah were constructed from soft local stone, or from limestone quarried from the northern settlement of Freiha . The stone was then protected by a thick gypsum plaster coating. Features such as doorways and niches were decorated with geometric stucco designs. Housing units were accessible by

2028-476: A large harbour, and its central position on the Gulf routes. Its economy depended on the pearl diving season, which took place during the long summer months. Pearling would draw Bedouin from the interior of Qatar as well as the people from all over the Persian Gulf to dive, trade, and safeguard the town from attack while the town's men were at sea. Boats from Zubarah would sail out to the pearl beds found all along

2184-439: A large town characterized by a safe harbour. It soon emerged as one of the principal emporiums and pearl trading centres of the Persian Gulf. The Al Khalifa, migrated from Kuwait and settled at Zubarah in 1732, founded and ruled the town of Zubarah, and its port making it one of the most important port and pearl trading centers in the Persian Gulf in the 18th century. They also expanded their settlements, and constructed walls and

2340-445: A maximum number of between 6,000 and 9,000 people. Most of the settler's dietary requirements were fulfilled by consuming livestock animals. Remnants of sheep, goat, birds, fish, and gazelle were among the waste collected from the palatial compounds. The wealthiest members of the community consumed mainly livestock, whereas the poorer residents relied on fish as their primary source of protein. Social, economic, and political activity

2496-593: A merchant fleet of eight ships of 1,000 GT or over, totaling 270,784 GT. Private vehicles and taxis are the primary means of transportation in the city. Manama has a bus service that launched on 1 April 2015, with a fleet of 141 MAN buses . Regulated by the Ministry of Transportation , bus routes extend across Bahrain and around Manama. Bahrain International Airport is located on the nearby Muharraq Island , approximately 7 km (4 mi) from

2652-467: A merchant's dhow, the traditional wooden boat of Arabia, found incised into the plaster in a room of a courtyard building, details how intimately the town's inhabitants associated their daily lives with long-distance maritime trade and commerce. Date trade also had an important role in the local economy. A complex array of small storage rooms have been identified as part of the souq (market) of Zubarah. The wide variety of trade objects that have been found in

2808-484: A naval invasion. This invoked a harsh reprisal from Britain, who, after issuing a written notice, opened fire on Zubarah's port, destroying 44 dhows. The incursion and subsequent Ottoman retreat prompted Jassim bin Mohammed and his army to surrender on unfavorable terms, in which he was instructed to hoist the Trucial flag at Zubarah. He was also ordered to pay 30,000 rupees . With its population already depleted, much of

2964-569: A part of Persia . In 1783, the Bani Utbah tribal confederation invaded Bahrain and expelled the resident governor Nasr Al-Madhkur . As a result, the Al Khalifa family became the rulers of the country, and all political relations with Bushehr and Persia / Iran were terminated. Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Khalifa (later called Ahmed al-Fateh, lit. "Ahmed the conqueror") become the dynasty's first Hakim of Bahrain . Political instability in

3120-777: A passing boat which resulted in the death of four people. Political resident Edward Ross demanded that the Ottoman authorities punish the townspeople for the crime, and extended an offer of British naval assistance. He met with wāli Abdullah Pasha in Basra to finalize the deal. Shortly after the British-Ottoman meeting, Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani and Nasir bin Mubarak attacked Zubarah with a force of 2,000 armed men. By 22 October, Jassim bin Mohammed's army, having sacked

3276-474: A period of British hegemony. Although the current twin cities of Manama and Muharraq appear to have been founded simultaneously in the 1800s, Muharraq took prominence due to its defensive location and was thus the capital of Bahrain until 1923. Manama became the mercantile capital and was the gateway to the main Bahrain Island . In the 20th century, Bahrain's oil wealth helped spur fast growth and in

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3432-454: A process widely popularized and promoted by Japanese entrepreneur Kōkichi Mikimoto . Particles implanted in the oyster encourage the formation of pearls and allow for more predictable production. Today's pearl industry produces billions of pearls every year. Ama divers still work, primarily now for the tourist industry. Manama Manama ( Arabic : الْمَنَامَة el-Menâme , Bahrani pronunciation: [elmɐˈnɑːmɐ] )

3588-426: A range of rooms, made up the interior of this structure. Plaster stucco decoration was used to embellish internal entrances and rooms. The discovery of internal staircases indicates that the compounds were multi- storeyed . The nine compounds of the complex were enclosed by a high circuit wall with circular towers at the four corners, each of which was capable of supporting a small cannon. The size and visual dominance of

3744-407: A tax. Zubarah was at that time a well-organised town, with many of the streets running at right angles to one another and some neighbourhoods built according to a strict grid pattern. This layout suggests that the town was laid out and built as part of a major event, although seemingly constructed in closely dated stages. An estimate of the population at the height of the town has been calculated to

3900-638: A tortoise-shell clip to close their nostrils, gripped a large object like a rock to descend without the wasteful effort of swimming down, and had a wide-mouthed basket or net to hold the oysters. For thousands of years, most seawater pearls were retrieved by divers working in the Indian Ocean , in areas such as the Persian Gulf , the Red Sea , and in the Gulf of Mannar (between Sri Lanka and India ). A fragment of Isidore of Charax 's Parthian itinerary

4056-525: A trading centre and its port grew larger than that of Qatif 's by 1790. Al Zubarah developed into a center of Islamic education during this century. The first almanac produced in Qatar, and one of the earliest preserved local literary works in the nation, was produced here in 1790 – the Zubarah Almanac, authored by the Maliki Sunni scholar ‘Abd al Rahman al-Zawāwī. This calendar outlined

4212-434: A variety, with a focus on pearls, oysters , and sailcloth . For the year of 1911–12, Manama was visited by 52 steamships, the majority being British and the rest Turkish-Arabian. The role of Manama as a regional port city in the Persian Gulf made it a hub for migrant workers in search of a better living. As a result, Manama has often been described, both in the pre-oil and post-oil era, as a cosmopolitan city. In 1904, it

4368-463: A visit to Manama in 1862, described the town as having a few ruined stone buildings, with a landscape dominated with the huts of poor fishermen and pearl-divers. The Pax Britannica of the 19th century resulted in British consolidation of trade routes, particularly those close to the British Raj . In response to piracy in the Persian Gulf region, the British deployed warships and forced much of

4524-461: Is a town well populated whose environs are fertile and produce corn and dates in abundance."   — Al-Idrisi The commercial network of Dilmun lasted for almost 2,000 years, after which the Assyrians took control of the island in 700 BC for more than a century. This was followed by Babylonian and Achaemenid rule, which later gave way to Greek influence during the time of Alexander

4680-485: Is comparatively low, coupled with mild temperatures moderated by soft breezes. The country attracts a large number of foreigners and foreign influences, with just under one-third of the population hailing from abroad. Alcohol is legal in the country, with bars and nightclubs operating in the city. Bahrain gave women the right to vote in elections for the first time in 2002. Football is the most popular sport in Manama (and

4836-540: Is evidence of human settlement on the northern coastline of Bahrain dating back to the Bronze Age . The Dilmun civilisation inhabited the area in 3000 BC, serving as a key regional trading hub between Mesopotamia , Magan and the Indus Valley civilisation . Approximately 100,000 Dilmun burial mounds were found across the north and central regions of the country, some originating 5,000 years ago. Despite

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4992-466: Is evidence that merchants would sail to India (particularly Bombay ) to sell pearls. By the 1930s, there were a few traders travelling all the way to Paris to sell their pearls. In the early twentieth century, it was estimated that about a quarter of the population living in the Persian Gulf's littoral was involved with the pearl trade. In the Persian Gulf, the pearling industry was dominated by slave labor, and male slaves were used as pearl divers until

5148-404: Is needed to reach them. Historically the molluscs were retrieved by freediving , a technique where the diver descends to the bottom, collects what they can, and surfaces on a single breath. The diving mask improved the ability of the diver to see while underwater. When the surface-supplied diving helmet became available for underwater work , it was also applied to the task of pearl hunting, and

5304-429: Is the capital and largest city of Bahrain , with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf , Manama is home to a very diverse population. After periods of Portuguese and Persian control and a short invasion from the ruling dynasty of Saudi Arabia , followed by a longer invasion by Oman, Bahrain established itself as an independent nation in 1971 following

5460-473: The 1775–76 Persian occupation of Basra when merchants and other refugees fleeing from Basra settled in Zubarah. Among these merchants was Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Husain ibn Rizq, who participated in the town's administration for a period. He had requested that his personal biographer, Uthman ibn Sanad al-Basri, come to the town to serve as the supreme judge. Al-Basri's biography, first published in 1813, provides

5616-672: The Bahraini royal family . The country's first Education Committee was established by several leading Bahraini merchants, headed by Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the son of the then-ruler of Bahrain Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa , who acted as the de facto Minister of Education . The Education Committee was also responsible for managing the Al-Hidaya Boys school. The school was, in fact, the brainchild of Shaikh Abdulla, who suggested

5772-582: The British political residency in Bushehr . The position of native agent was later replaced by a British political agent, following the construction of the British political residency (locally referred to in Arabic : بيت الدولة ) in 1900, which further solidified Britain's position in Manama. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the British Raj used Manama as a military base of operations during

5928-709: The CBD . It is a premier hub airport in the Middle East. Strategically located in the Northern Persian Gulf between the major markets of Saudi Arabia and Iran , the airport has one of the widest range and highest frequency of regional services with connections to major international destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Bahrain also has a military airbase, the Isa Air Base , located in

6084-589: The College of Health and Sport Sciences . Other notable primary and secondary schools situated in the city include the Bahrain School , the Indian School , Al Raja School amongst others. The city is located in the north-eastern corner of Bahrain on a small peninsula. As in the rest of Bahrain, the land is generally flat (or gently rolling) and arid . Manama has an arid climate . In common with

6240-738: The Colonial office , was appointed in 1926 by the British to carry on further reforms and manage administration as a financial advisor to the King. He later organised the State Police and was in charge of the Finance and Land departments of the government. In 1927, the country's pearling economy collapsed due to the introduction of Japanese cultured pearls in the world market. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1931, pearling entrepreneurs lost more than two-thirds of their income. Further aggravated by

6396-594: The Great Depression was £1.5 million annually. Custom duties and tariffs served as the prime source of revenue for the government. With the onset of the Great Depression, the collapse of the pearling industry and the discovery of oil in 1932, the country's economy began to shift towards oil. Historically, the ports at Manama were of poor reputation. The British described the ports importing systems as being "very bad – goods were exposed to

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6552-521: The Great Depression , many leading Bahraini businessmen, shopkeepers, and pearl-divers fell into debt. With the discovery of oil in 1932 and the subsequent production of oil exports in 1934, the country gained a greater significance in geopolitics. The security of oil supplies in the Middle East was a priority of the British, especially in the run-up to the Second World War. The discovery of oil led to gradual employment of bankrupt divers from

6708-575: The Hasawis and Qatifis of mainland Arabia and the Persian Ajam . The Sunni community is represented by Arab Bedouin tribes who migrated in the eighteenth century along with the Bani Utbah and the Huwala . Manama is the main hub of the country's road network. At the moment the city's road network is undergoing substantial development to ameliorate the situation of traffic in the city. Due to

6864-570: The Indian subcontinent and by 1981, foreigners outnumbered Bahrainis two-to-one. The construction of the Diplomatic Area district in the city's northeast helped facilitate diversification of the country's economy from oil by exploiting the lucrative financial industry. Financial institutions in the district numbered 187 by 1986. The scarcity of land suitable for construction led to land reclamation . Religious activism migrated from Manama to

7020-551: The Jarwanid dynasty , the island became a tributary of the Kingdom of Hormuz . The town of Manama was mentioned by name for the first time in a manuscript dating to 1345 AD. Bahrain, particularly Manama and the nearby settlement of Bilad Al Qadeem , became a centre of Shia scholarship and training for the ulema , it would remain so for centuries. The ulema would help fund pearling expeditions and finance grain production in

7176-648: The Manama Souq and the Manama Fort (now the Ministry of Interior) to its south. However the city has now grown to include a number of newer suburban developments as well as older neighboring villages that have been engulfed by the growth of the city. The districts that make up Manama today include: Manama is part of the Capital Governorate , one of five Governorates of Bahrain . Until 2002 it

7332-587: The Mesopotamian campaign . Prompted by the presence of oil in the region, the British political agency in Bushire concluded an oil agreement with the Hakim to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of oil for a five-year period. In 1919, Bahrain was officially integrated into the British empire as an overseas imperial territory following the Bahrain order-in-council decree, issued in 1913. The decree gave

7488-612: The Ohio , Tennessee , and Mississippi , while others successfully retrieved marine pearls from the Caribbean and waters along the coasts of Central and South America . In the time of colonial slavery in northern South America (off the northern coasts of modern Colombia and Venezuela ), slaves were used as pearl divers. A diver's career was often short-lived because the waters being searched were known to be shark-infested, resulting in frequent attacks on divers. A slave who discovered

7644-560: The Wahhabis were also a contributing factor that helped Al Zubara flourish into an important trade center. This prominent position led to conflicts with adjacent port towns. A quarrel arose in 1782 between the inhabitants of Zubarah and Persian-ruled Bahrain. Zubarah natives traveled to Bahrain to buy some wood, but an altercation broke out, and in the chaos, a Utub sheikh's slave was killed. The Utub and other Arab tribes retaliated on 9 September by plundering and destroying Manama . A battle

7800-577: The fortress of 1938, which was officially named after the town. The Zubarah Fort follows a traditional concept with a square ground plan with sloping walls and corner towers. Three of the towers are round while the fourth, the southeast tower, is rectangular; each is topped with curved-pointed crenellations , with the fourth as the most machicolated tower. The fort's design recalls earlier features common in Arab and Gulf fortification architecture but varies by being constructed on concrete foundations. It marks

7956-492: The northern and north-western coast of Western Australia pearl diving began in the 1850s, and started in the Torres Strait Islands in the 1860s, where the term also covers diving for nacre or mother of pearl found in what were known as pearl shells . In most cases the pearl-bearing molluscs live at depths where they are not manually accessible from the surface, and diving or the use of some form of tool

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8112-472: The 1850s off the coast of Western Australia and the pearling industry remained strong until the advent of World War I , when the price of mother-of-pearl plummeted with the invention and expanded use of plastics for buttons and other articles previously made of shell. In the 1870s, pearling began in the Torres Strait , off Far North Queensland . By the 1890s, pearling was the largest industry in

8268-618: The 1920s but it shifted to a new road, King Faisal Road , in the early 1930s which became the coastal road. To the east, a bridge connected Manama to Muharraq since 1929, a new causeway was built in 1941 which replaced the old wooden bridge. Transits between the two islands peaked after the construction of the Bahrain International Airport in 1932. To the south of Manama, roads connected groves, lagoons and marshes of Hoora , Adliya , Gudaibiya and Juffair . Villages such as Mahooz , Ghuraifa , Seqaya served as

8424-633: The 1990s a concerted diversification effort led to expansion in other industries and helped transform Manama into an important financial hub in the Middle East . Manama was designated as the 2012 capital of Arab culture by the Arab League , and a beta global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2018. The name "Manāmah" (without the Al-) was first recorded around

8580-559: The 19th century had disastrous effects on Manama's economy; Invasions by the Omanis in 1800 and by the Wahhabis in 1810–11, in addition to a civil war in 1842 between Bahrain's co-rulers saw the town being a major battleground. The instability paralysed commercial trade in Manama; the town's port was closed, most merchants fled abroad to Kuwait and the Persian coast until hostilities ceased. The English scholar William Gifford Palgrave , on

8736-445: The British announced their withdrawal from Bahrain by 1971. The newly independent State of Bahrain designated Manama as the capital city. Post-independence Manama was characterised by the rapid urbanisation of the city and the swallowing-up of neighboring villages and hamlets into a single urbanised area, incorporating new neighbourhoods such as Adliya and Salmaniya . The construction boom attracted large numbers of foreigners from

8892-676: The Great's conquests . In the first century AD, the Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote of Tylos , the Hellenic name of Bahrain in the classical era , and its pearls and cotton fields. The island came under the control of the Parthian and Sassanid empires respectively, by which time Nestorian Christianity started to spread in Bahrain. By 410–420 AD, a Nestorian bishopric and monastery

9048-427: The Hakim of Bahrain in 1869, Manama became the centre of British activity in the Persian Gulf, though its interests were initially strictly commercial. Trading recovered fully by 1873 and the country's earnings from pearl exports increased by sevenfold between 1873 and 1900. Representing the British were native agents, usually from minorities such as Persians or Huwala who regularly reported back to British India and

9204-649: The Latin American coast, including near Riohacha on Colombia's Guajira Peninsula . However, due to over-exploitation of both indigenous labor and the oyster beds, the Spanish pearl economy soon plummeted. By 1540, previous Spanish settlements along the coast had been abandoned as the Spanish looked elsewhere for more labor and newer markets. The pearl industry was partially revived in the late sixteenth century when Spaniards replaced indigenous labor with African slave labor . Oyster harvesting methods remained much

9360-414: The Ottoman Empire, Africa, Europe, and the Persian Gulf. Diving weights and other material cultures show how closely the connection between the daily life in the town and the pearl fishing and trading were. The discovery of coffee cups and tobacco pipes in the excavations reveals the growing importance of these commodities all over the Persian Gulf during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The etching of

9516-404: The Persian Gulf States at the time (including Bahrain) to sign the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 , which prohibited piracy and slavery. In 1861, the Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship was signed between Britain and Bahrain, which placed the British in charge of defending Bahrain in exchange for British control over Bahraini foreign affairs. With the ascension of Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa as

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9672-433: The Persian Gulf have been collected and recorded in the area. This includes Halophila ovalis , Halophila stipulacea and Halodule uninervis . A total of c. 48 fish species, 40 mollusc species, 17 reptile species, and 170 arthropod species were recorded in the expanse of the town. A preliminary investigation of Zubarah uncovered four previously unknown species of tardigrades . Eleven species of Heterotardigrada ,

9828-411: The Persian Gulf moved to Manama from Bushire . Following the rise of Arab nationalism across the Middle East and sparked by the Suez Crisis in 1956, anti-British unrest broke out in Manama, organised by the National Union Committee . Though the NUC advocated peaceful demonstrations, buildings and enterprises belonging to Europeans (the British in particular) as well as the main Catholic church in

9984-413: The Persians from Bahrain after defeating them. After the invasion, the Al Khalifa migrated to Bahrain, with Zubarah remaining under their jurisdiction. The Bani Utbah was already present in Bahrain at that time, settling there during the summer season and purchasing date palm gardens. Despite the instability surrounding Zubarah after the siege of Zubarah and the conquest of Bahrain in 1783, it flourished as

10140-438: The Spaniards began to import African slaves as the indigenous populations died off from disease and over-exploitation and Africans became so preferred by the Spanish over indigenous labor that a royal decree of 1558 decreed that only Africans (and no natives) should be used for pearl diving. Like other pearl diving groups controlled by the Spanish, the pearl divers could be treated harshly based on their daily pearl retrieval. Unlike

10296-491: The Wahhabi doctrine and regarded the town as an important gateway to the Persian Gulf. Saudi general Sulaiman ibn Ufaysan led a raid against the town in 1787. In 1792, a massive Wahhabi force conquered Al Hasa, forcing many refugees to flee to Zubarah. Wahhabi forces besieged Zubarah and several neighboring settlements two years later to punish them for accommodating asylum seekers. The local chieftains were allowed to continue carrying out administrative tasks but were required to pay

10452-448: The arrival of the first car in 1914. The continuous increase in the number of cars from 395 in 1944, to 3,379 in 1954 and to 18,372 cars in 1970 caused urban development to primarily focus on expanding the road network, widening carriageways and the establishment of more parking spaces. Many tracks previously laid in the pre-oil era (prior to the 1930s) were resurfaced and widened, turning them into 'road arteries'. Initial widening of

10608-415: The associated activity of collecting pearl shell as a raw material for the manufacture of buttons , inlays and other decorative work. The surface supplied diving helmet greatly extended the time the diver could stay at depth, and introduced the previously unfamiliar hazards of barotrauma of ascent and decompression sickness . Before the beginning of the 20th century, the only means of obtaining pearls

10764-407: The behest of Nasr Al-Madhkur in 1778, and 1782, the residents of the town were engaged in a war with the Banu Kaab of Khuzestan during the late eighteenth century. A large number of date -presses (madbassat) are found in houses throughout the town. They are small rooms with ridged plastered floors sloping to one corner where a jar would have been placed. Dates were packed in sacks and placed on

10920-415: The belief that the British were infringing on Ottoman dominion, relayed the events to the Ottoman Porte , who began assembling a large army near Qatif . Jassim bin Mohammed also congregated a large number of boats near the coast. Subsequently, the governor of Zubarah declared Bahrain as Ottoman territory and threatened that the Porte would provide military support to Qatari tribes who were preparing to launch

11076-478: The center of power of the Bani Utbah. The Al Bin Ali, another branch of Bani Utbah, were also known for their courage, persistence, and abundant wealth. Under their jurisdiction, the town developed trade links with India, Oman , Iraq and Kuwait. Many goods, including dates, spices, and metals, were transported through its ports. The town soon became a favorite transit point for traders after the Utub abolished trade taxes. The town's prosperity further increased after

11232-662: The city and petrol stations, were targeted and set ablaze. Demonstrations held in front of the British political residency called for the dismissal of Charles Belgrave, who was later dismissed by the direct intervention of the Foreign Office the following year. A subsequent crackdown on the NUC led to the dissolution of the body. Another anti-British uprising erupted in March 1965, though predominately led by students aspiring for independence rather than by Arab nationalists. In 1968,

11388-412: The city ruins and the project, which is labeled a proto-sabkha habitat, also contains large quantities of Holocene fossils. Eocene limestone is predominant further inland where the habitat is a stony, arid desert. Zubarah Beach is located near the archaeological site but is open only to those on guided tours. Vegetation in Zubarah is sparse, although three of the most recurrent species of seagrasses in

11544-460: The dangers of hostile creatures, waves, eye damage, and drowning , often as a result of shallow water blackout on resurfacing. Because of the difficulty of diving and the unpredictable nature of natural pearl growth in pearl oysters, pearls of the time were extremely rare and of varying quality. In a similar manner as in Asia, Native Americans harvested freshwater pearls from lakes and rivers like

11700-510: The disapproval of the British who suggested that the emir was involving himself in complications. Edward Ross made it apparent that a government council decision advised the sheikh that he should not interfere in the affairs of Qatar. However, the Al Khalifa remained in frequent contact with the Naim, drafting 100 tribe members in their army and offering them financial assistance. In September 1878, several Zubarans were involved in an act of piracy on

11856-564: The discovery of the mounds, there is no significant evidence to suggest heavy urbanisation took place during the Dilmun era. It is believed that the majority of the population lived in rural areas, numbering several thousand. Evidence of an ancient large rural population was confirmed by one of Alexander the Great 's ship captains, during voyages in the Persian Gulf . A vast system of aqueducts in northern Bahrain helped facilitate ancient horticulture and agriculture. "The capital of Awal ...

12012-487: The divers (who were mostly male) compromised their chastity , they would not be able to submerge but rather float on the water. The divers who either had a small catch or rebelled were beaten with whips and tied in shackles. The working day lasted from dawn till dusk and being underwater, along with bruises, could affect the health of some divers. Furthermore, it is well known that the coastal waters were often infested with sharks, so shark attacks were quite frequent as well. As

12168-543: The divers did not meet their daily quota, they would either use their reserve pearls to fulfill the quota for the next day or write that amount of pearls into a debt account. Like the Venezuelan divers, the Panamanian divers also faced the danger of shark attacks, although they usually carried knives to defend themselves. In Asia, some pearl oysters could be found on shoals at a depth of 5–7 feet (1.5–2.1 meters) from

12324-486: The election of Islamist parties, Al Wefaq , Al Menbar , and Al Asalah , as well as independent candidates. In 2011, a month-long uprising led to the intervention of GCC forces and the proclamation of a three-month state of emergency . The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry published a 500-page report on the events of 2011. Historically, Manama has been restricted to what is now known as

12480-468: The emir of Bahrain, as he had previously signed a treaty with the Naim tribe residing in Zubarah in which they agreed to be his subjects, and the report implied that the Ottomans were encroaching on his territory. Upon being questioned by the emir, Grant referred him to political resident Edward Ross. Ross informed the sheikh that he believed he had no right to protect tribes residing in Qatar. In September,

12636-510: The emir reiterated his sovereignty over the town and the Kubaisi and Naim tribe. Grant replied by arguing that there was no special mention of the Kubaisi and Naim or Zubarah in any British treaties signed with Bahrain. A government official agreed with his views and concurred " that it was desirable that the Chief of Bahrain should, as far as practicable abstain from interfering in complications on

12792-693: The end of these roads. To the west, a major highway was built that linked Manama to the isolated village port of Budaiya , this highway crossed through the ' green belt ' villages of Sanabis , Jidhafs and Duraz . To the south, a road was built that connected Manama to Riffa . The discovery of oil accelerated the growth of the city's road network. The four main islands and all the towns and villages are linked by well-constructed roads. There were 3,164 km (1,966 mi) of roadways in 2002, of which 2,433 km (1,512 mi) were paved. A causeway stretching over 2.8 km (2 mi), connect Manama with Muharraq Island , and another bridge joins Sitra to

12948-601: The entire Qatari Peninsula under the leadership of the Al Thani. Nearly all of the authority that the Al Khalifa held in Zubarah was diminished, except for informal treaties they had signed with a few local tribes. On 16 August 1873, assistant political resident Charles Grant falsely reported that the Ottomans had sent a contingent of 100 troops under the command of Hossein Effendi from Qatif to Zubarah. This report incensed

13104-424: The fact that it is the capital and the main city in the country, where most of the government and the commercial offices and facilities are established, along with the entertainment centers, and the country's fast growth, vehicle population is increasing rapidly. The widening of roads in the old districts of Manama and the development of a national network linking the capital to other settlements commenced as early as

13260-502: The final abolition of slavery in the Gulf states in the period of 1937–1971. The pearling industry in this region reached its zenith around 1912, "the Year of Superabundance." By the 1950s, however, dependency on pearls was replaced by dependency on oil, as oil was discovered and the oil industry became the dominant economic trade. Although harvesting of shells had long been practiced by Aboriginal Australians , pearl diving only began in

13416-517: The fisheries continued to diminish, slaves hid some of the valuable pearls and exchanged them for clothing with their bosses. On Cubagua , another Venezuelan island, the Spaniards used natives as slave labor in their initial attempts to establish a thriving pearl market in this area. Indians, especially those from Lucayo in the Bahamas, were taken as slaves to Cubagua since their diving skills and swimming capabilities were known to be superb. Likewise,

13572-404: The floor with weights on top to squeeze out the date juice - a sweet sticky syrup (dibs). The jar would collect and preserve the syrup for later consumption or use in cooking. In 2014, a site was excavated which revealed the largest yet-discovered date-pressing site in the country and region. There were 27 date presses found overall, including 11 found in one lone complex. Zubarah is well known for

13728-573: The harvest to prevent the oysters from becoming extinct, and the Mexican government banned all pearl harvesting from 1942 to 1963. Pearl diving in the Ohio and Tennessee rivers of the United States still exists today. During the first half of the sixteenth century, Spaniards discovered the extensive pearl oyster beds that existed on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, particularly in

13884-856: The idea after returning from post-World War I celebrations in England. In 1926, a second public school for boys opened up in Manama called the Jafaria School. Two years later, in 1928, the first public school for girls was established. Due to financial constraints suffered by the Education Committee, the Bahraini government took control of the schools in 1930. Presently, Manama has a wide range of private and public universities and colleges such as Ahlia University , Applied Science University , Arab Open University , Arabian Gulf University , Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance , and

14040-417: The industries which have experienced recent growth. Several multinationals have facilities and offices in and around Manama. The primary industry in Manama itself is financial services, with over two hundred financial institutions and banks based in the CBD and the Diplomatic Area . Manama is a financial hub for the Persian Gulf region and a center of Islamic banking . There is also a large retail sector in

14196-614: The industry declining. Rising water temperatures also reduced the mussel population. William "Bill" Abernethy (1925-2021) was credited as Scotland's last dedicated pearl fisherman; he found the 43.6-grain Abernethy pearl in the River Tay in 1967. 1998, legislation was passed making it illegal to fish for or to sell freshwater pearls in Scotland. As of 2003, there were 61 known breeding sites in Scotland. Today, pearl diving has largely been supplanted by cultured pearl farms, which use

14352-420: The largest pearls belonged by law to the sultan, and selling them could result in the death penalty for the seller. Nonetheless, many pearls made it out of the archipelago by stealth, ending up in the possession of the wealthiest families in Europe. Pearling was popular in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Japan, India and some areas in Persian Gulf countries. The Gulf of Mexico was particularly famous for pearling, which

14508-556: The main island. A four-lane highway atop a 24 km (15 mi) causeway , linking Bahrain with the Saudi Arabian mainland via the island of Umm an-Nasan was completed in December 1986, and financed by Saudi Arabia . In 2000, there were 172,684 passenger vehicles and 41,820 commercial vehicles. Bahrain's port of Mina Salman can accommodate 16 oceangoing vessels drawing up to 11 m (36 ft). In 2001, Bahrain had

14664-478: The mainland. " The Al Khalifa witnessed another opportunity to renew their claim on the town in 1874 after a Bahraini opposition leader named Nasir bin Mubarak moved to Qatar. They believed that Mubarak, with the assistance of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani , would attack the Kunaisi,s living in Zubarah as a prelude to an invasion of Bahrain. As a result, a body of Bahraini reinforcements were sent to Zubarah, much to

14820-401: The making of buttons . As time went on and sources were depleted, divers were encouraged to dive deeper, making the enterprise even more dangerous. Divers experimented with the heavy diving suit, discarding the full diving suit and using the helmet and corselet only, which became standard practice until 1960. "Hookah" gear, tested to 48 fathoms (87 metres) in 1922, was considered unsuitable for

14976-411: The male population in the region. Zubarah, being one of the focal pearling and trading towns, contributed to the geopolitical, social, and cultural trajectories of Gulf history which shape the region today. Ceramics, coins, and the remains of foodstuffs from the excavations attest to Zubarah's far-reaching trade and economic links in the late 18th century, with material deriving from eastern Asia, Persia,

15132-648: The months and days of the year, specified prayer times, and included observations on agriculture and seasonal variations. The town came under threat from 1780 onward due to the intermittent raids launched by the Wahhabi on the Bani Khalid strongholds in nearby al-Hasa . The Wahhabi speculated that the population of Zubarah would conspire against the regime in Al-Hasa with the help of the Bani Khalid. They also believed that its residents practiced teachings contrary to

15288-467: The more recent Zubarah Fort . Zubarah, derived from the Arabic word for 'sand mounds', was presumably given its name due to its abundance of sand and stony hillocks. During the early Islamic period, trade and commerce boomed in northern Qatar. Settlements began to appear on the coast, primarily between the towns of Zubarah and Umm Al Maa . A village dating back to the Islamic period was discovered near

15444-641: The nearby town of Bilad Al Qadeem as the provincial capital. The town was also the seat of the Persian governor and the Shaikh al-Islam of the islands. The position of Shaikh al-Islam lay under the jurisdiction of the central Safavid government and as such, candidates were carefully vetted by the Isfahan courts. During the Safavid era, the islands continued to be a centre for Twelver Shi'ism scholarship, producing clerics for use in mainland Persia. Additionally,

15600-496: The other pearl diving groups, however, the divers on Cubagua were marked by a hot iron on their face and arms with the letter "C," which some scholars argue stood for Cubagua. The pearl diving process in Cubagua varied slightly from other Spanish pearl diving practices. Here, there were six divers per boat and divers worked together in pairs to collect the pearls. These pearl divers used small pouches tied to their necks to collect

15756-557: The oysters from the sea bottom. Some scholars have reported that because of the climate in Cubagua, the heat would cause the oysters to open themselves, making the pearl extraction process a bit simpler. Natives, unlike Africans, were given less rest time and could potentially be thrown off the boat or whipped to commence work sooner. Similar to slaves on Margarita Island, all pearl diving slaves were chained at night to prevent escape; in addition, deaths not only resulted from shark attacks, but also from hemorrhaging caused by rapid surfacing from

15912-429: The palatial compound suggest that it was occupied by a family of wealthy and powerful sheikhs who were community leaders in the social and economic life of the town. The protection of the town and its people's wealth was a clear priority. A large wall was built in the late-18th-century town and its bay in a 2.5 km arc from shore to shore. The wall was defended by 22 semi-circular towers placed at regular intervals. It

16068-405: The pearl fishers and mariners who harvested the pearl banks each season. The most impressive and colossal of the building complexes measures 110 m by 100 m in size and is commonly referred to as 'the palace'. This structure follows the same form as the domestic architecture seen elsewhere in Zubarah, but on a much larger scale. Nine interconnected compounds, each comprising a courtyard surrounded by

16224-520: The pearling industry in the 1930s, eventually causing the pearling industry to disappear. During the war, the country served as a strategic airbase between Britain and India as well as hosting RAF Muharraq and a naval base in Juffair . Bahrain was bombed by the Italian Air Force in 1940. In 1947, following the end of the war and subsequent Indian independence, the British residency of

16380-446: The people of Khor Hassan visit to draw water. Murair is said to have been connected with the sea by a creek which enabled sailing boats to discharge their cargoes at its gate, but the inlet is now silted up with sand." In 1937, a conflict broke out between Qatari loyalists and the Naim tribe who had defected to Bahrain, precipitating Bahrain's subsequent territorial claims to Zubarah. A recent proposal that Zubarah becomes an oil terminal

16536-452: The political resident in Bahrain of the dispute. Upon being made aware of the proceedings, the British requested the Ottomans, who had been acting in concert with Jassim bin Mohammed, to abort the settlement. Much to the indignation of the Ottomans, the British sent a naval ship to Zubarah shortly after and seized seven of the Al Bin Ali's boats after the tribe's leader refused to comply with their directive. The Ottoman governor of Zubarah, under

16692-445: The reader with much information pertaining to the development of the town under ibn Rizq's administration. He also makes note of several prominent scholars who migrated to the town, such as Abd al-Djalil al-Tabatabai. Inhabitants from nearby settlements, including wealthy merchants, migrated to Zubarah en masse during the 1770s due to the prevalence of attacks and the plague in the Persian Gulf region. Ongoing wars between Bani Khalid and

16848-468: The reduced garrison. It was completed in 1938. Qal'at Murair , the hitherto principal fort of the town, was abandoned soon after Zubarah Fort was erected. In the mid-20th century, the political adviser in Bahrain, Charles Belgrave , reported that just a few Bedouin of the Nua‘imi (Naim) tribe lived, albeit nomadically, in the ruined town. The area was gradually abandoned towards the end of the 20th century and

17004-434: The region, and had a huge impact on coastal Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Because of the dangers of diving, almost no white people participated, and Asian, Pacific, and Indigenous Australians were used as cheap labor for the industry. Shells were the main aim for collection, and the whole industry was essentially a colonial one geared to procuring mother-of-pearl for sale to overseas markets for

17160-474: The remaining population migrated to other regions in Qatar in the early 20th century due to the inadequate water supply in the town. J.G. Lorimer 's Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf gives the following account of Zubarah in 1908: "A ruined and deserted town on the west side of the Qatar Promontory, about 5 miles south of Khor Hassan . It stands at the foot of a deep bay of the same name, of which

17316-510: The resident political agent greater powers and placed Bahrain under the residency of Bushire and therefore under the governance of the British Raj. The British pressured a series of administrative reforms in Bahrain during the 1920s (a move met with opposition from tribal leaders), during which the aging Hakim Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa was forced to abdicate in favour of his reform-minded son Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa . A municipal government

17472-402: The rest of Bahrain , Manama experiences extreme climatic conditions, with summer temperatures up to 45 °C (113 °F), and winter as low as 7 °C (45 °F) with even hail on rare occasions. Average temperatures of the summer and winter seasons are generally from about 17 °C (63 °F) to about 34 °C (93 °F). The most pleasant time in Bahrain is spring when sunshine

17628-622: The rest of the country), with three teams from Manama participating in the Bahraini Premier League . Notable cultural sites within Manama include the Bab Al Bahrain and the adjacent souq area. In the 2010s, the historic core of Manama underwent revitalisation efforts alongside the Manama souq , which were due to be completed in 2020. The central areas of Manama are also the main location for Muharram processions in

17784-527: The rich agricultural northern region of Bahrain continued to flourish due to an abundance of date palm farms and orchards. The Portuguese traveler Pedro Teixeira commented on the extensive cultivation of crops like barley and wheat. The opening of Persian markets to Bahraini exports, especially pearls , boosted the islands' export economy. The yearly income of exported Bahraini pearls was 600,000 ducats , collected by around 2,000 pearling dhows . Another factor that contributed to Bahrain's agricultural wealth

17940-400: The roads started in the Manama Souq district, widening its main roads by demolishing encroaching houses. A series of ring roads were constructed (Isa al Kabeer avenue in the 1930s, Exhibition avenue in the 1960s and Al Fateh highway in the 1980s ), to push back the coastline and extend the city area in belt-like forms. To the north, the foreshore used to be around Government Avenue in

18096-406: The rooms points towards the area's classification as a place of trade. The souq would have been the centre of the town and of its economy. Various commodities, including ironsmithing, were sold at this souq. The architecture consisted mainly of courtyard houses , a traditional form of Arabic architecture which can be found throughout the Middle East. A series of small rooms were organized around

18252-692: The rural areas surrounding the city. In 1521, Bahrain fell to the expanding Portuguese Empire in the Persian Gulf, having already defeated Hormuz. The Portuguese consolidated their hold on the island by constructing the Bahrain Fort , on the outskirts of Manama. After numerous revolts and an expanding Safavid empire in Persia, the Portuguese were expelled from Bahrain and the Safavids took control in 1602. The Safavids, sidelining Manama, designated

18408-411: The same along the coast and varied depending on the divers' conditions, the region's topography, and a Spanish master's work demands. On Margarita Island, small zones were inspected in advance by the divers, who relied on breath-hold endurance to dive and resurface. Once those small zones had been depleted of their oysters, the men on the boat - which usually included a dozen divers, a Spanish navigator,

18564-479: The school's syllabus comprising English, Mathematics and the study of Christianity. Leading merchants in the country sent their children to the school until it was closed down in 1933 due to financial difficulties. The school reopened some years later under the name of Al Raja School where it operates till the present day. In addition to the American Mission School, another foreign private school

18720-448: The shopping malls around Seef , while the center of Manama is dominated by small workshops and traders. Manama's economy in the early 20th century relied heavily on pearling ; in 1907, the pearling industry was estimated to include 917 boats providing employment for up to 18,000 people. Shipbuilding also employed several hundred in both Manama and Muharraq . The estimated income earned from pearling in 1926 and subsequent years prior to

18876-654: The south at Sakhir . This is the base of the Bahrain Defence Force, or BDF. Quranic schools were the only source of education in Bahrain prior to the 20th century; such schools were primarily dedicated to the study of the Qur'an . The first modern school to open in the country was a missionary elementary school set up in 1892 (according to one account) in Manama by the Reformed Church in America , with

19032-476: The southern shore of the Persian Gulf, from Bahrain to the United Arab Emirates. The trips lasted several weeks at a time. Men would work in pairs to harvest mollusks potentially hiding pearls inside them. A man would dive for about a minute and the other remained on the ship to pull the diver back to safety with his harvest. The archaeological evidence for pearling on site comes primarily from

19188-529: The strong tides in these waters, and the later Scuba equipment did not supply enough air to spend the time required underwater and for decompression while surfacing Scotland is home to approximately half of the world's freshwater pearl mussels. Pearl hunting has been carried out in Scotland since the Roman era . Writings by Suetonius , the biographer of Julius Caesar , suggest that Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain in 55 BC and 54 BC were in part prompted by

19344-464: The structure of words like " Shah Nameh " (Book of Kings). Bahrain’s historical connection with Persian culture, particularly through the Sassanian and Achaemenid Empires, has influenced many place names and cultural elements in the region, supporting the possibility of Persian linguistic roots. Additionally, cities like Shah Khorah (شاه خورا) in Bahrain reflect this Persian influence. There

19500-534: The suburban districts of Bani Jamra , Diraz and Bilad Al Qadeem , hotspots of unrest in the 1990s uprising that called for the reinstatement of an elected parliament. In 2001, the National Action Charter , presented by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa was approved by Bahrainis. The charter led to the first parliamentary and municipal elections in decades. Further elections in 2006 and 2010 led to

19656-419: The surface, but more often divers had to go 40 feet (12 meters) or even up to 125 feet (38 meters) deep to find enough pearl oysters, and these deep dives were extremely hazardous to the divers. In the 19th century, divers in Asia had only very basic forms of technology to aid their survival at such depths. For example, in some areas they greased their bodies to conserve heat, put greased cotton in their ears, wore

19812-400: The tools used by the divers such, as pearl boxes, diving weights, and small measuring weights used during trading. Zubarah was the focal point of an extensive regional trade network during its peak in the late eighteenth century. Until the introduction of the cultured pearl in the early 1900s, the trade in pearls constituted the Persian Gulf's most important industry, employing up to a third of

19968-615: The town may have been partially abandoned shortly before the 1811 attack. From c. 1810 onwards, the British Empire became more influential in the Persian Gulf area, stationing political agents in various ports and cities to protect their trading routes. In one of the first descriptions of the salient towns in Qatar, Major Colebrook described Zubarah as such in 1820: Captain George Barnes Brucks also gave his account of Zubarah just four years later. He stated: Zubarah

20124-425: The town, now surrounded Murair Fort , which was fortified by 500 members of the Kubaisi tribe. The Kubaisi eventually surrendered to Jassim bin Mohammed's forces on unfavorable terms and most of the Zubarah's residents were relocated to Doha. The incident aggravated the ruler of Bahrain due to his treaty with the Kubaisi tribe. There were reports in 1888 that Jassim intended to restore the city so that it could serve as

20280-436: The town. Between September 1627 and April 1628, a Portuguese naval squadron led by D. Goncalo da Silveira set several neighboring coastal villages ablaze. Zubarah's settlement and growth during this period is attributed to the dislodging of people from these adjacent settlements. There remains some uncertainty over the earliest mention of Zubarah in written documents. Qatar's Memorial , a 1986 Arabic history book, alleges that

20436-471: The traditional courtyard form, but on a smaller scale and more irregular in their shape. Additionally, evidence of decorated plaster known from earlier buildings was not found in the newly constructed buildings. In 1868, the Al Khalifa launched a major naval attack on the eastern portion of Qatar. In the aftermath of this attack, a sovereignty treaty was signed between the Al Thani and the British, uniting

20592-431: The transition from solely stone-built structures to cement-based ones, albeit in a traditional design. Pearl hunting Pearl hunting , also known as pearl fishing or pearling , is the activity of recovering or attempting to recover pearls from wild molluscs , usually oysters or mussels , in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in the Persian Gulf region and Japan for thousands of years. On

20748-457: The urban life, spatial organization, and the social and economic history of the Persian Gulf before the discovery of oil and gas in the 20th century. Covering an area of around 400 hectares (60 hectares inside the outer town wall), Zubarah is Qatar's most substantial archaeological site . The site comprises the fortified town with a later inner and an earlier outer wall, a harbour, a sea canal, two screening walls, Qal'at Murair (Murair fort), and

20904-448: The vicinity of Margarita Island . Indigenous slavery was easy to establish in this area because it had not yet been outlawed; therefore, indigenous peoples were captured and often forced to work as pearl divers. Since violence could not protect the efficiency of the slave trade, coastal chieftains established a ransoming system known as the " rescate " system. As this system continued to grow, more and more oyster beds were discovered along

21060-400: The water and intestinal issues induced by constant reentry into cold water. Diver groups in the Panamanian fisheries were larger than those on Margarita Island, usually comprising 18–20 divers. Instead of net bags, these divers surfaced with oysters under their armpits or even in their mouths, placing their catch in a cloth bag on board the ship. Each diver would continue to submerge until he

21216-465: The weather and there were long delays in delivery", in 1911. Indians began maintaining the ports and new resources were built on site, improving the situation. As of 1920, Manama was one of the main exporters of Bahrain pearls , attracting steamships from India. During this time, they also imported goods from India and from other regional countries. They imported rice, textiles, ghee , coffee, dates, tea, tobacco, fuel, and livestock. They exported less of

21372-560: The western frontier in 1811, he reduced his garrisons in Bahrain and Zubarah to re-position his troops. Said bin Sultan of Muscat capitalized on this opportunity and attacked the Wahhabi garrisons in the eastern peninsula. The Wahhabi fortification in Zubarah was set ablaze and the Al Khalifa was effectively returned to power. Following the attack, the town was abandoned for a short period. However, later archaeological discoveries indicate that

21528-678: The western point is Ras 'Ashairiq and which contains a small island, also called Zubarah . The town was formerly the stronghold of the Al Khalifah ruling family of Bahrain : its site is still frequented by the Na'im of Bahrain and Qatar. The town was walled and some 10 or 12 forts stood within a radius of 7 miles round it, among them Faraihah , Halwan, Lisha, 'Ain Muhammad, Qal'at Murair , Rakaiyat , Umm-ash-Shuwail and Thaghab [...]. All of these are now ruinous and deserted, except Thaghab, which

21684-497: The year 730 AH (approximately 1330 AD) during the visit of Turān Shah of Hurmuz to the island. At that time, it had already been annexed by his predecessor, Tahamtam II of Hurmuz. The name is claimed by some to be derived from the Arabic word الْمَنَامَة ( el-Menâme ) meaning "the place of rest" or "the place of dreams". Originally it was called simply "Manamah" before being renamed to Al-Manamah. In Persian , "man" (من) means "me," and "nameh" ( نامه ) means "letter," similar to

21840-453: Was a contributing factor in the conflict. Qatar's emir, Abdullah bin Jassim , referred to the Bahraini claim on Zubarah as "imaginary" and "not based on logic". He also alleged that Bahrain assisted the Naim in the form of arms and finances. That year, in the aftermath of the conflict and subsequent out-migration, Abdullah bin Jassim commenced the construction of Zubarah Fort to compensate for

21996-592: Was also fought on land between the Persians and the Arab tribes, in which both sides suffered casualties. The people of Zubarah returned to the mainland after three days with a seized Persian gallivat that had been used to collect the annual treaty. On 1 October 1782, Ali Murad Khan ordered the sheikh of Bahrain to prepare a counter-attack against Zubarah and sent him reinforcements from the Persian mainland. About 2,000 Persian troops arrived in Bahrain by December 1782 and attacked Zubarah on 17 May 1783. After suffering

22152-427: Was by manually gathering very large numbers of pearl oysters or mussels from the ocean floor or lake or river bottom. The bivalves were then brought to the surface, opened, and the tissues searched. More than a ton were searched in order to find at least 3-4 quality beads. In order to find enough pearl oysters, free-divers were often forced to descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath, exposing them to

22308-549: Was established in Al Dair , on the neighbouring island of Muharraq . Following the conversion of Bahrain to Islam in 628 AD, work on one of the earliest mosques in the region, the Khamis Mosque , began as early as the seventh century AD. During this time, Bahrain was engaged in long distance marine trading, evident from the discovery of Chinese coins dating between 600 and 1200 AD, in Manama. In 1330, under

22464-551: Was established in Manama in 1919, the Customs office was reorganised in 1923 and placed under the supervision of an English businessman, the pearling industry was later reformed in 1924. Earnings from the customs office would be kept in the newly created state treasury . Civil courts were established for the first time in 1923, followed by the establishment of the Department of Land Registration in 1924. Charles Belgrave , from

22620-403: Was estimated that Manama's population numbered 25,000, out of which half were believed to have been foreigners from Basra , Najd , al-Hasa and Iran , as well as from India and Europe. The two main branches of Islam , Shia Islam and Sunni Islam , coexisted in Manama for centuries and are represented by distinct ethnic groups. The Shia community is represented by the native Arab Baharna ,

22776-400: Was eventually resettled in the late 1820s. It remained a pearl fishing community but on a significantly smaller scale than previously. The reconstructed town barely covered 20% of its predecessor. A new town wall was constructed much closer to the shore than the earlier town wall. This phase of Zubarah was not as organized in the layout of the streets and its buildings. Houses were still built in

22932-402: Was faced by a parapet with a walkway, most likely to provide leverage for gunners. Access to the town was limited to a few defended gateways from the landside, or via its harbour. There was no sea wall, but a stout fort defended the main landing area on the sandy beach. Despite its defensive fortifications, Zubarah was attacked on several occasions. In addition to two major attacks carried out at

23088-404: Was most likely centered in the souq. The discovery of numerous ceramic tobacco pipe bowls indicates a reluctant acceptance and growing social addiction to smoking tobacco. Coffee pots, mainly of Chinese origin, were used by Zubarah's inhabitants to drink Arabic coffee . The town was occupied by the Wahhabi in 1809. After the Wahhabi amir was made aware of advancements by hostile Egyptian troops on

23244-489: Was of scarce availability. In an attempt to amass a water supply, Murair Fort was constructed 1.8 km eastward of the original settlement, on the margins of the desert scarp. The fort served to facilitate wells that tapped the shallow freshwater lenses . Holocene deposits are densely scattered in the sabkha and mud plain areas located near the city ruins and the sea. Most of the buildings in Zubarah were constructed using materials from these deposits. An area encompassing

23400-522: Was opened in 1910; Al-Ittihad school, funded by the Persian community of Bahrain . Following the end of the First World War , Western ideas became more widespread in the country, culminating in the opening of the first public school of Bahrain, Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia Boys school, in the island of Muharraq in 1919. The school was founded by prominent citizens of Muharraq and was endorsed by

23556-576: Was originally found by the Spanish explorers. The shallow Persian Gulf produced many pearls, and the pearling industry flourished in Kuwait, UAE, and Qatar, with Bahrain producing the highest export. The price for pearls increased throughout the nineteenth century, with the pearl trade expanding in this region. At this time, pearls from the Persian Gulf were being traded in Aleppo and Istanbul , and there

23712-411: Was out of breath or extremely tired, but also after they had met their fixed quota for the day. Once the bags were full, the divers caught another breath and immediately began pearl extraction aboard the vessel, handing the pearls to the foreman who accounted for both imperfect and perfect pearls. Excess pearls were given to the divers who could sell them to the vessel owner at a just price; in contrast, if

23868-541: Was part of the municipality of Al-Manamah. Councils exist within the governorates; eight constituencies are voted upon within Capital Governorate in 2006. Manama is the focal point of the Bahraini economy. While petroleum has decreased in importance in recent years due to depleting reserves and growth in other industries, it is still the mainstay of the economy. Heavy industry (e.g. aluminium smelting , ship repair), banking and finance, and tourism are among

24024-688: Was preserved in Athenaeus 's 3rd-century Sophists at Dinner , recording freediving for pearls around an island in the Persian Gulf . Pearl divers near the Philippines were also successful at harvesting large pearls, especially in the Sulu Archipelago . In fact, pearls from the Sulu Archipelago were considered the "finest of the world" which were found in "high bred" shells in deep, clear, and rapid tidal waters. At times,

24180-477: Was the migration of Shia cultivators from Ottoman -occupied Qatif and al-Hasa , fearing religious persecution, in 1537. Sometime after 1736, Nader Shah constructed a fort on the southern outskirts of Manama (likely the Diwan Fort). Persian control over the Persian Gulf waned during the later half of the 18th century. At this time, Bahrain archipelago was a dependency of the emirate of Bushehr , itself

24336-503: Was used primarily for beach camps. The fort also housed a coast guard station until the 1980s. Zubarah encompasses a 400-hectare stretch on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula and is located approximately 105 km from the Qatari capital Doha . It is situated over a low, coastal hillock. The two main habitat types are the sabkha and the stony desert. Historically, fresh water

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