Al Dair
Place in Muharraq Island, Bahrain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Dair (Arabic: الدَيْر) is a village in Bahrain on the northern coast of Muharraq Island. It lies north of the Bahrain International Airport, and north west of Samaheej village.
Al Dair
الدَيْر | |
|---|---|
  Al Dair | |
| Coordinates: 26°17′6″N 50°37′26.4″E | |
| Country | Bahrain |
| Island | Muharraq Island |
Before the discovery of oil in Bahrain, most of the inhabitants were involved in farming, especially date palms, and fishing.
Similarly to Deir ez-Zor in Syria, the name Ad-Dair is Aramaic for "the monastery," indicating the Christian past of Muharraq Island.[1]
Its inhabitants are mostly Shi’ite though there are a small number of Sunni Muslims as well.
Name
Al-Dair comes from the word dair (Arabic: دير) which is defined in Arabic dictionaries as a Christian monastery.[2] The origin of the name of the village is thought to have originated from the presence of a dair in the village named Dair Al-Rahib (Arabic: دير الراهب, lit. 'Monastery of the Monk'), in the past, which alludes to its Christian origins. Today, there is a mosque in the village named Masjid Al-Rahib (Arabic: مسجد الراهب, lit. 'Mosque of the Monk') which is believed to be the site of the former monastery.[3][4]
Education
The Ministry of Education operates government schools in Al-Dair, Al-Dair Primary Intermediate Girls School and Al-Dair Primary Boys School.
