Ajam of Bahrain

The Ajam of Bahrain (), or Iranic Bahrainis (), are a collective of ethnic groups among Bahraini citizens of Western Iranian descent.

Most families in this group are of Shia background, although there are also Sunni families of Achomi, Kurdish، Many Ajam are bilingual, speaking Arabic and Persian. The Ajam are found in large numbers in both Manama and Muharraq. Their population is estimated at 225,000.

Terminology Historically Ajam (Singular: Ajami) was applied to those from a Persian-speaking background locally, Alt URL similarly to its historical use. However, nowadays, any non-Arab is referred to as an Ajam. Musa Al-Ansari states that this term originally referred to non-Arabs of a Persian-speaking (or derivative; i.e., Achomi) background, as they were the only non-Arabic speakers in Bahrain, but due to the increase of other non-Arab/non-Arabic speaking ethnicities and people (such as Asians), he claims to have "reservations" about it due to its wide meaning. While some find this term to be derogatory due to its negative historical use context, some Sunni "Khodmooni" Iranians claim it is only for those of a Shia background, whilst they have been referred to as "Ajam" in the past, similar to the situation in Kuwait, others do not reject or deny it.

Demographics

The Ajams, or Iranians of Bahrain, are the descendants of Iranians who immigrated to Bahrain as early as the 6th century BCE. The term, however, generally refers to those who arrived between the 19th & 20th centuries (1801–2000 CE) from the southern provinces of Iran, including Fars province, Alt URL Bushehr province, Hormozgan province, Bandar Abbas, Bander Langeh, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province, Khoramshahr, and Lorestan.

Ethnic groups

The Ajam possess many different ethnic backgrounds, reflecting the diverse peoples of their parent country, including (but not limited to):

Iranian/contemporary Iran's (western Iranic) peoples:

Persian People: Achums/Khodmoonis (): Iranian people who migrated from the southern Iranian historical province known as Irahistan. Locally, they are referred to as "Khodmooni" (); those with a Sunni background refer to themselves as "Huwala" (), who were also known as 'Ajams,' Alt URL and those with a Shia background refer to themselves as "Ajam" () or "Bastaki." "Khodmooni" or "Ajam" or "Huwala" is used interchangeably to denote them also. The "Ajam" group among them speaks "Bushehri-derived Farsi dialect" as migrations from Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Bandar Lengeh happened at approximately the same time. While the Shia Khodmoonis were originally Sunnis, they later converted. Basseris (). Likely from Fars province, from counties like Abadeh, Eqlid, Pasargad, Jahrom, Marvdasht, Shiraz, Khorrambid, Larestan, and Sarvestan. Lurs (): likely from Ganaveh County, Deylam County, Dashtestan County, Dashti, Jam, Tangestan, and other areas of Bushehr, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, and Lorestan. They are predominantly Shia. Bakhtiaris. Mamasani. Possibly Behbehani/Bahbahani Lurs or Lurs from Bahbahan. in Kurds (). Said to have begun migrating since World War 1 to avoid the violence and turmoil of southeastern Turkey. They are 93.99% Sunni Muslims. Azeris/Iranian Azeris: Predominantly Shias. Azerbaijanis are best described as Iranian peoples who adopted a Turkic language due to historical "elite dominance." They retain a predominantly Iranian genetic base, with minor Central Asian (18~33% Turkic/Mongol) ancestry. Other Iranic people: Parsis: Descendants of Zoroastrian Iranians who fled prosecution during the Islamic conquest of Iran and migrated to India, some of whom have migrated to Bahrain. They speak Gujarati,Desai, Usha & Ramsay-Brijball, M. (2004). Tracing Gujarati Language development: philologically and sociolinguistically. Alternation, 11(2), 308–324.Dodiya, J. (2006). Parsi English Novel. Sarup & Sons.|Dodiya, J. (2006). Parsi English Novel. Sarup & Sons.||page=7 whilst Avestan is used as a liturgical language. Iranis: Descendants of Zoroastrian Iranians who migrated from Qajar-era Iran to British India in the 19th and 20th centuries, some of whom have migrated to Bahrain. They are predominantly Zoroastrian and speak Zoroastrian Dari (North-Western Iranian Persian dialect).

Other ethnic groups from Iran that may be/have been classified as part of the broader "Ajam Community": Qashqai Turks. Predominantly Shias. Minabis (referred to locally as ), who originate from Minab. Other groups with Iranian migration history:

Arabic-speaking groups Khuzestani Arabs (From Khorramshahr and Ahvaz). Hawala Arabs. Afro-Iranians: from Minab, Beshagard, and possibly a few from Bandar Abbas. Sayyids of Iranic descent like the Al-Alawi (Alavi), Al-Mosawi (Mosavi), and other families.

Genetics

According to paternal haplogroup predictions of 2020:

The majority of Bahrainis are on the J2 Haplogroup, which corresponds to Caucasian, Anatolian, or Western Iranian (32000 ybp) origins, encompassing 27.6% of the sample, followed by:

J1 (23.0%; most common in Bedouin of Negev, Sudan, and Yemen). E1b1b (8.9%; most common in East Africa). E1b1a (8.6%; most common in West and Central Africa) R1a (8.4%; some Eurasian origin; commonly found in Brahmins of India; 72.22%, Pakistan's Mohana, and Tehranis; 20%). Other predicted haplogroups (G, T, L, R1b, Q, R2, B2, E2, H and C) occurring at progressively lower frequencies.

The Northern and Capital Governorates, where the Baharna and Ajam are most located, show higher frequencies of haplogroup J2 (34% and 31%) than in Muharraq and the Southern Governorate (both 17%), J1 is most frequent in the Southern Governorate (27%) where the highest proportion of Arabs live, as well as in the Muharraq Governorate (27%) where many migrant Huwala Arabs resettled. It declines to its lowest frequency in the Northern and Capital Governorates (21% and 19%). The Ajams and Baharnah of the Northern Governorate of Bahrain (particularly Manamah) show a high genetic continuity from the Tylos period.

History

Iranian migration to Bahrain can be traced back as early as the Sassanid and Achaemenid Persian Empire, though there has been a more constant level of migration in recent centuries, primarily that of Persian Shi'ites.

Pre-Islamic period

From the 6th century BCE to the 3rd century BCE, Bahrain was an integral part of the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid dynasty. The Greeks referred to it as "Tylos," a hub for pearl trading, a name that emerged after Nearchus discovered the island while serving under Alexander the Great.Life and Land Use on the Bahrain Islands: The Geoarchaeology of an Ancient ... by Curtis E. Larsen p. 13 From the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE, when it came under the influence of Islam, the island was controlled by two Iranian dynasties, the Parthians and the Sassanids. In the 3rd century CE, the Sassanids succeeded the Parthians and controlled the area for four centuries until the Arab conquest.Bahrain by Federal Research Division, page 7 The contemporary Island of Bahrain was referred to as Mishmahig,Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography by Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh, page 119 which in Middle-Persian/Pahlavi means "ewe-fish."Yoma 77a and Rosh Hashbanah, 23a

Historians say that Bahrain was inhabited by partially-Christianized Arabs, Aramaic-speaking agriculturalists, Persian Zoroastrians, and a small number of Jews. Robert Bertram Serjeant believes that the Baharna () may be the last of the "descendants of converts from the original population of Christians (Aramaeans), Jews and ancient Zoroastrian Persians (Referred to as "Majus" by Early Muslim Arabs) inhabiting the island and cultivated coastal provinces of Eastern Arabia at the time of the Arab conquest." Islamic narrations claim that Bahrain was predominantly a Zoroastrian country before the Arab conquest, and that Mohammed took the Jizya from them.

The Bahraini population is said to have spoken Syriac and Persian (likely Parthian and Middle "Pahlavi" Persian) at the time. Bahrain's old population is said to have also had a Persian clergy (Zoroastrians) who used Syriac as a language of liturgy and writing more generally.

These sentiments are supported by archaeology as archaeologists uncovered Parthian (247 BCE – 224 CE) artefacts in Shakhura, and remains of a Christian church in Samaheej, dating back to the mid-4th and mid-8th centuries.

Modern migrations

It is claimed that Persians settled in Hormuz and Bahrain during the conflict between the Portuguese and the Persian Empire over control of Bahrain (1507 to 1625).

It is claimed that after the decline of the Safavid Empire (1501–1736), which was nearly destroyed by Pashtun armies, Persian Sunnis played a significant role in setting up Sunni governance in Bahrain. Persian Sunni (Achomi/Ajam) communities in Bahrain, alongside the Howala Arab tribes, took control of the island, establishing a Sunni-dominated rule.

Between 1772 and 1773, a certain plague spread in the Gulf region, including Bahrain, killing around 2 Million people in the region.

The Qajar dynasty began ruling Iran in 1789, founded by Mohammad Khan () of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman Qajar tribe.

Waves of famine, cholera and smallpox outbreaks as well as increased crime rates accompanying drought led to a large-scale migration to Bahrain around 1850.

It was around this time that Sheikh Muhammad bin Khalifah Al Khalifa asked for Iranian protection against Wahabbis in 1851 and declared his preparedness to be a Qajar Iran protectorate. However, the British forced him to become their protectorate.

First generation (1860-1910) The period between 1860 and 1910 is considered the "first generation" migration by some. It includes places like Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Bandar Langeh Mohammerah (Khorramshahr), and Lorestan.

In 1860, the Bushehri family migrated to Bahrain.

During the early 20th century, the Iranian central government imposed new import and export taxes, The introduction of taxes was an effort to reinforce the authority of the Iranian state and draw revenue from affluent peripheral areas like Bandar Lingeh and Bushehr, which were key economic hubs in the Persian Gulf during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Migrants, familiar with the region, circumvented these restrictions by choosing alternative routes. To escape the heavy taxation, many merchants simply relocated to the other side, a practice that had been common for centuries due to the familiarity of the region, prompting the migration of tens of thousands of people from southern Iran to the opposite shores. Bahrain became a primary destination for these migrants, leading to a significant increase in its Iranian population. This period also saw heightened British involvement in the region.

In the early 20th century, Bahrain was struck by several major epidemic waves, most notably plague outbreaks in 1903, 1907, and 1925, remembered locally as the "Years of Mercy" (Sanawat al-Rahma) due to the scale of death. According to records from the American Mission Hospital, these outbreaks caused around 9,690 deaths, a devastating figure relative to Bahrain's population at the time. Many Ajams worked in the American Hospital. Other diseases such as smallpox and cholera also affected the island. These epidemics impacted all communities in Bahrain, including the Ajam population, who, as part of the country's urban and coastal society, experienced the same demographic losses and social disruption. Bahrain was also among the earliest Gulf states to implement organized quarantine measures, including the "Karantina" isolation station at Halat Bu Maher.