Christians in the Persian Gulf

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Christians reached Basra (ancient Perat d'Maishan), near the shores of the Persian Gulf by the beginning of the fourth century. According to the Chronicle of Seert,^[1] Bishop David of Perat d'Maishan was present at the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, around 325, and sailed as far as India. Gregory Bar Hebraeus, Chron. Eccles, 2.10 (v. 3, col. 28) indicates that David had earlier ordained one of the other bishops present at the Council.

The monk Jonah is said to have established a monastery in the Persian Gulf "on the shores of the black island" in the middle of the fourth century.^[2] A Nestorian bishopric was established at Rev-Ardashir, nearly opposite the island of Kharg, in Southern Persia, before the Council of Dadisho in 424 CE.

From the fifth century onward the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Church of the East. Christian sites have been discovered dating from that time until after the advent of Islam in the region at Failaka, Kharg, Jubail/Jubayl and the nearby settlements of Thaj, al-Hinnah and Jabal Berri, and Sir Bani Yas. A suspected church at Marawah was later shown to be a Neolithic site.

Contents 1 Failaka 2 Kharg 3 Jubail and nearby areas 4 Jabal Berri 5 Sir Bani Yas 6 Notes and references 7 External links

[edit] Failaka

Remains of a church, dating to perhaps as early as the 5th or 6th century to judge by the crosses that form part of the stucco decoration, were found at Al-Qusur on the island of Failaka. Pottery at the site can be dated from as early as the first half of the 7th century through the 9th century.^[3]

[edit] Kharg

A number of tombs have been found decorated with distinctive Nestorian crosses. A monastery with a church and nearby homes for married priests have also been excavated. The floral designs in the plaster decoration of the church suggested to the excavator a date in the fifth or sixth centuries C.E.^[4]

[edit] Jubail and nearby areas

A church, consisting of a walled courtyard and three rooms on the east side was found in 1986. Cross designs were seen to have been impressed into the plaster flanking the doors of the structure. The reporter of the site did not indicate a clear date for it, but suggested that it must have been in existence for two centuries before the advent of Islam. Christian gravestones were also found at the site of Jubail. At Thaj, 90 km to the West, what appears to be a smaller church or chapel, built of reused stones and perhaps dating to the fifth or sixth century, has been discovered. 10 km NNE of Thaj at al-Hinnah there is evidence of a Christian cemetery of ancient but unknown date.^[5]

[edit] Jabal Berri

Not far to the South of Jubail, at Jabal Berri, three crosses have been found dating possibly to the period when Sassanian Persia had influence over the region.^[6]

[edit] Sir Bani Yas

At Sir Bani Yas, an island off the Western coast of the United Arab Emirates, an extensive monastic and eccelesiastical complex has been found similar to that at Kharg. The church building itself was about 14 m × 4.5 m. As with other sites in the region, plaster crosses were excavated. The excavator suggests a date in the sixth or seventh century for the construction of the church.^[7]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey. Gives online access to several of the cited publications.