Muharraq

Muharraq

Muharraq is the third largest city in Bahrain and was the capital until 1932, when it was replaced by Manama. The city is on the island of Muharraq, where Bahrain International Airport is located. Neighboring Muharraq are the artificial Amwaj Islands, known for their grand buildings, hotels and beaches. It is home to the Muharraq Club, Bahrain's most successful football club. The famous Siyadi House is located here. The city is known for its souq and is also home to traditional arts and music. Originally Muharraq was part of Dilmun, a Semitic-speaking Bronze Age polity. It later became the city of Arwad on the island of Tylos, which some have considered the birthplace of Phoenicia. At the end of Persian rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Seleucid Greeks, and Muharraq was the seat of the pagan cult of the shark god Awal. The inhabitants of the city, whose livelihood depended on seafaring and trade, worshipped Awal in the form of a large shark statue in the city. By the fifth century AD, Muharraq had become one of the main centers of Nestorian Christianity, which began to dominate the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. Conquered by the Portuguese and the Persians, Al-Muḥarraq came under the control of the Āl Khalīfah dynasty in 1783, along with the rest of Bahrain.