Fareej Mushbir (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: فريج مشبر) is an old district neighbouring the

Manama Souq Manama Souq () is the old bazaar ( souq) of Bahrain's capital, Manama. Location The Souq lies in the north of Manama, in-between the old parts of the city and the Central Business District, to the east of Noaim and west of Ras Rumman. The m ...

, in the city of

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. The district was part of the original core of Old Manama, prior to its expansion in the 20th century. It was established in the early 19th century by Iranians living in that country.

Mushbir canal

The area is most famous for the Mushbir

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

(also called the Manama Canal), part of a series of ancient canals lining the north of Bahrain, which was the most important source water supply in the capital. Predominately

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

neighbourhoods grew around the canal, local folklore suggests that it led to the formation of the current Mushbir district and the Hammam district, then an agricultural

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

. It also led to the establishment of the two oldest religious institutions in Manama; the Jami' al Mu'min (first mentioned in 1738) and Matam bin Aman, where

Ashura Ashura (, , ) is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the ...

processions are organised. It is also believed that, during the 1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain, the Mushbir canal was used by the

Bani Utbah The Bani Utbah ( ar, بني عتبة, banī ʿUtbah, plural Utub; ar, العتوب ', singular Utbi; ar, العتبي ') is an Arab tribal confederation that originated in Najd. The confederation is thought to have been formed when a group of ...

to capture the Persian-held Diwan Fort, then the administrative headquarters of Bahrain.

Disuse

The canal fell into disuse as did much of the country's old canal system during the 19th and 20th century. However, vegetation continued to grow around the canals. In 1904–1905, a wave of cholera and plague struck Bahrain, killing hundreds. It was thought that the canals harboured deadly microbes and it was transmitted in clothes people washed in the canals. Historian Mohammed Ali Al-Tajir described Manama at the time as "the land of Manama consists of marshes and swamps that pollute the air with increasing epidemics". Al Wazir, a poet from Jidhafs village, described Mushbir in his poem:

Notes

:1Al Wazir's comment drew criticism from Manama intellectuals.

References

;Bibliography * Neighborhoods of Manama {{Bahrain-geo-stub