Samaheej ( ''Samāhīj,'' ''Mashmahig,
''
Persian: سه ماهی Se Mahi),
is a village in
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
on the northern coast of
Muharraq Island
Muharraq Island (), formerly known as Moharek, is the second largest island in the archipelago of Bahrain after Bahrain Island. It lies east of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain Island.
History
The island is named after Muharraq City, the form ...
.
Al Dair village lies to its northwest, while
Galali lies to its southeast. It is north of
Bahrain International Airport
Bahrain International Airport (, romanized: ''Maṭār al-Baḥrayn al-dwalī'') is the international airport of Bahrain. Located on Muharraq Island, adjacent to the capital Manama and the city of Muharraq, it serves as the hub for the nation ...
.
Samaheej was home to a historical Christian community, the remains of which have been uncovered through archaeological excavations at the site.
Before the
discovery of oil in Bahrain, most of the inhabitants were involved in
farming
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, especially
date palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet #Fruits, fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across North Africa, northern A ...
s, and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
.
Among the famous people from Samaheej is
Abdullah bin Saleh al Samahiji (1675 - 1722), a medieval
Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
, prominent within the
Akhbari
Akhbarism () is a branch of Twelver Shia Islam, whose adherents do not perform imitation ( ''taqlid'') of an islamic jurist ( ''marja''). Akhbaris rejects the use of intercessory reasoning via trained Islamic jurists to derive verdicts in ...
school of
Shiism
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...
during the
Safavid
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
era.
Etymology
In Syriac, it is referred to as Meshmahig ( ''Mashmahig''),
and the name Samaheej is said to be from Persian ''se'' (three) and ''mahi'' (fish) and hence, ‘the three fish’.
Interestingly, Bahrain's old population is said to have had a
Persian clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
(
Zoroastrians) who used
Syriac as a language of liturgy and writing more generally,
in addition to a
Nestorian Christian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
church that was uncovered in Samaheej.
Education
The
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
operates government schools. Samajih Primary Intermediate Boys School is the sole government school within Samaheej.
Archaeology
Samaheej had a
Nestorian Christian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
presence during its early history, with old foundations of a Nestorian monastery being discovered in the village.
[Insoll, T., Carter, R., Almahari, S., MacLean, R., 2021, Excavations at Samahij, Bahrain, and the implications for Christianity, Islamisation and settlement in Bahrain, Wiley, Arab Arch. Epig. 2021,00:1–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/aae.12173] In 2024, it was published that archaeologists from the
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
and the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities discovered a well-constructed building likely serving as the bishop's palace, containing domestic rooms, a kitchen, and early Christian symbols, including three plaster crosses and
Chi Rho
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi (letter), chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek (Romanization of ...
graffiti.
References
External links
Samaheej Online WebsiteSamaheej TvSamaheej ForumsSamaheej Photo albumsSamaheej MMSSamaheej Club
Populated places in the Muharraq Governorate
{{Bahrain-geo-stub