Ajam of Bahrain

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Iranian Bahrainis
عجم البحرين (in Arabic)
ایرانیان بحرین (in Persian)
Ajam of Iraq

The Ajam of Bahrain (

ethnic group in Bahrain composed of Bahraini citizens of Iranian ancestry.[4]

Most families are Shi’ite, although there are a number of Sunni families of

Farsi.[6]

History

Iranian migration into Bahrain goes back to the days of the

Sassanid and Achaemenid Persian empire, though in modern times there has been a constant migration for hundreds of years.[7] There has always been a migration of Persian-speaking Shia into Bahrain.[8]

In 1910, the local Iranian community funded and opened a

Mushbir. However they resettled in other areas with the development of new towns and expansion of villages during the reign of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Today, a significant number is based in Muharraq's Shia enclaves and Bahrain Island
's modernized Shia towns.

Matam Al-Ajam Al-Kabeer

Main article: Muharram in Bahrain
Matam Al-Ajam Al-Kabeer in Manama
Matam Al Ajam interior, Fareej el-Makharqa

Matam Al-Ajam Al-Kabeer (

Imam Hussain.[11]
The matam is still used for this purpose.

It was originally built with simple construction material such as

palm tree trunks and leaf stalks. The matam was formally established in 1904 where it was decided that the matam would be renovated with rocks, clay and cement.[12] Initially in the 1890s, the matam was primarily supported by Persian merchants, with two-thirds of the donation coming from the Bushehri and Safar family, respectively. For much of the 20th century, the matam had relied on yearly donations of money and land from rich and poor members of the Persian community and from waqf revenue.[11] The matam also had an emergency relief fund that was to be distributed to the poor and to needy individuals; the matam provided financial aid and shelter to people following the collapse of the pearling market in the 1930s.[11]

Upon the death of Abdul-Nabi Al-Kazerooni in 1927, Abdul Nabi Bushehri, himself a Persian immigrant from Bushehr and a well-respected figure in the Persian community, took control of the matam.[10] Unlike his close friend, Bushehri ran the matam with other notables of the Persian community, forming a de facto board. Upon Bushehri's death in 1945, the board took over. In order to prevent confusion, the board appointed a specific member, Hasan Baljik, to act as key carrier to the matam and responsible for programs and budgetary issues.[10] In 1971, an administrative board consisting of a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and others was set up, all of whom were rich merchants.[10]

Culture

Language

The Ajam speak southern Persian dialects distinctive to the cities they have originated from, for example:

  • "Why" in official Persian dialect is "baráye che" (Persian: برای چه؟) while in southern Persian dialect is "seche" (Persian: سیچه؟).
  • "Money" in official Persian dialect is "Púl" (Persian: پول) while in southern Persian dialect is "peyse" (Persian: پِیسه).
  • "Do you want water?" in official Persian dialect is "áb mikháhi" (Persian: آب می خواهی؟) while in southern Persian dialect is "ow mikhay" (Persian: اُو مي خای؟).

In addition to this, many names of villages in Bahrain are derived from Persian,

Shahrekan, and Jurdab were originally derived from Persian, suggesting Persian influence on the island's history.[13]

Village name Translation
Arabic
: شاخورة)		 Stable of Kings
Arabic
: جرداب)		 Whirlpool
Arabic
: شهركان)		 Old Town
Arabic
: سلماباد)		 Inhabited Peace or Forever Peace
Arabic
: كرباباد		 Derived from a plant name
Arabic
: دمستان)		 Comes from the word Dabistan, meaning school[13]
Arabic
: ديه)		 Village[13]
Arabic
: كرانه		 The Coast
Arabic
: دراز)		 Long
Arabic
: المنامه)		 Derived from two words, meaning I and Speech; Manama is actually derived from Arabic ِAl-Muna'amah (المنعمة) and its people were referred to as Almuna'ami; in the famous Shia book by Sayyed Mohsen Alameen "A'yan Alshia" (أعيان الشيعة) a Shi'a scholar from Manama or Muna'ama was mentioned Shaykh Ali bin Umran bin Fayad Almuna'ami Albahrani (شيخ علي بن عمران بن فياض المنعمي البحراني)
Arabic
: سماهيج)		 Three fish[13]

The Persian language has had the biggest foreign linguistic influence on

Bahraini Arabic.[14] The indigenous Bahrani dialect of Bahrain has also borrowed many words from Persian, for example:[13]

  • Chandal - woods used in constructing the roof of old buildings.
  • Bādgir - towers with single or two, three or four sided openings above dwellings in order to let wind air into the building to create a current and hence cool the air inside the lower floor rooms.
  • Surwāl - trousers.
  • Jurāb - socks.
  • Sirdāb - cellar.
  • Tannuur - coal oven.
  • dariche - window.

Food

One of the notable local delicacies of the

Persian cuisine
.

Notable people

See also

Further reading

  • Between Modern and National Education: The ‘Ajam Schools of Bahrain and Kuwait
  • Stephenson, Lindsey (2018). Rerouting the Persian Gulf: The Transnationalization of Iranian Migrant Networks, c.1900-1940 (PhD). Princeton University.
  • Fuccaro, Nelida (2005), "Mapping the transnational community: Persians and the space of the city in Bahrain c.1869-1937", in Al-Rasheed, Madawi (ed.), Transnational Connections and the Persian Gulf, Routledge, pp. 39–74,
    ISBN 978-0-415-33135-7

References

  1. ^ Bassiouney, Reem (2009). "5". Arabic Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 105–107.
  2. ^ a b c Mehran (2 March 2023). "كتاب تاريخ جنوب فارس لارستان وبستك" (in Arabic).
  3. ^ a b c khodo mania (27 April 2023). "كتاب تاريخ جنوب فارس لارستان وبستك" (in Arabic).
  4. ISBN 90-04-10763-0
  5. ^ "International History Blog: The Ajam of Manama". 30 October 2015.
  6. ISBN 9780710300249
    .
  7. ISBN 9004107630. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  8. ISBN 9004107630. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  9. ^ Shirawi, May Al-Arrayed (1987). Education in Bahrain - 1919-1986, An Analytical Study of Problems and Progress (PDF). Durham University. p. 60.
  10. ^
    ISBN 0-226-43473-7
    .
  11. ^
    ISBN 9780415331357
    .
  12. ^ "Matam Al Ajam Al Kabeer (Grand Mosque of Ajam)". Bahrain Guide. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  13. ^
    ISBN 9780710300249
    .
  14. ISBN 90-04-10763-0

External links
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