Christianity in Eastern Arabia
Christians reached the shores of the Persian Gulf by the beginning of the fourth century. According to the Chronicle of Seert, 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 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. A Church of the East bishopric was established at Reishahr, nearly opposite Kharg Island in the northern Persian Gulf, before the Council of Dadisho in AD 424.
Eastern Arabia was divided into two main ecclesiastical regions: Beth Qatraye and Beth Mazunaye. Christianity in Eastern Arabia was blunted by the arrival of Islam by 628. Despite this, the practice of Christianity persisted in the region until the late ninth century.
From the fifth century onward, the Persian Gulf 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 Island, Kharg Island, Jubail, and the nearby settlements of Thaj, al-Hinnah and Jabal Berri, and Sir Bani Yas.
History
After the region fell under the reign of the Sasanian Empire in the early third century, many of the inhabitants in Eastern Arabia were introduced to Eastern Christianity following the eastward dispersal of the religion by Mesopotamian Christians. However, it was not until the fourth century that Christianity gained popularity in the region. This was, in large part, due to the arrival of Christians who faced persecution in Iraq and Iran under the reign of Shapur II starting in 339. Another factor in the growing influence of Christianity was the migration of Christian traders to the region who were looking to capitalize on the well-established pearl trade.A sizable Christian presence in Eastern Arabia soon emerged thereafter. The monk Jonah alludes to the presence of a monastery on the Black Islands, in the southern portion of Beth Qatraye, built between 343 and 346 by a monk named Mar Zadoe. Furthermore, the Chronicle of Seert mentions a monk named 'Abdisho who Christianized the locals of Ramath, an island located between Kuwait and Qatar, and built a monastery there sometime between 363 and 371. Church of the East records attest to a consistent Christian presence in the region between the fifth and seventh centuries, as evidenced by the regular attendance of synods by local bishops.
The Christian population consisted mainly of Syriac and Middle Persian speakers, while the remainder consisted primarily of Arabic-speakers deriving from the Abd al-Qays tribe. Communities often competed over the construction of churches and parishes. In addition to facilitating the celebration of festive occasions, monasteries were also famous for their vineyards and were often visited for wine tasting. Churches also typically provided basic services such as schooling and healthcare.
According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad sent a Muslim envoy named Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami to Munzir ibn Sawa Al-Tamimi, a ruler in Eastern Arabia, in 628, requesting that he and his people accept Islam. Most of the Pagan practitioners converted to Islam shortly thereafter. However, the monotheistic population, who consisted of Jews and Zoroastrians in addition to Christians, did not instantaneously convert. Instead, many chose to pay the jizya, a tax for non-Muslims.
Christianity abated in the region sometime around the ninth century.
Historical regions
Beth Qatraye
The Christian name used for the region encompassing northeastern Arabia was Beth Qatraye, sometimes also called "the Isles". The name translates to "region of the Qataris" in Syriac. It included the present-day areas of Bahrain, Tarout Island, al-Khatt, Al-Hasa, and Qatar. Some parts of the United Arab Emirates may also have been included. The region contained monasteries from the fourth to ninth centuries. From the sixth to seventh centuries, bishops were known to be stationed in the districts of Mashmahig, Dayrin, Mazun, Hagar, and Ḥaṭṭa. The bishops of Beth Qatraye stopped attending synods in 676 although Christianity persisted in the region until the late ninth century.By the fifth century, Beth Qatraye was a major centre for the Church of the East, which had come to dominate the southern shores of the Persian Gulf. As a sect, Eastern Christians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire, but eastern Arabia was outside the Empire's control, offering some safety.
The dioceses of Beth Qatraye did not form an ecclesiastical province, except for a short period during the mid-to-late seventh century. They were instead subject to the Metropolitan of Fars. In the late seventh century, Beth Qatraye rebelled against the authority of Fars. In an effort to reconcile the bishops of Qatraye, Giwargis I held a synod at Dayrin in 676.
In the seventh and eighth centuries, an important literary culture emerged in Beth Qatraye. Several notable Nestorian writers originating from Beth Qatraye are ascribed to this period, including Isaac of Nineveh, Dadisho Qatraya, Gabriel of Qatar, Gabriel Arya and Ahob of Qatar. A number of archaeological sites are also dated to this time-frame.
There is some ambiguity about the language used in Beth Qatraye. Written text contained both Persian and Semitic words. While some of the latter are Arabic, the general morphology and phonetics bear more resemblance to Aramaic. German orientalist Anton Schall categorized the language "Southeastern Aramaic". Because of this unique fusion of linguistic elements, the monks of Beth Qatraye were active in translating texts between Persian, Syriac and Arabic. It is said that a Christian from Beth Qatraye even served as the official Persian translator for King al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir who was a native Arabic speaker.