Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/225

 BAHREIN ISLANDS

103

BAHREIN ISLANDS.

Group of islands in the Persian Gulf, 20 miles off the coast of El Hasa, in Arabia. Bahrein, the largest, is 27 miles long by 10 wide ; Moharek, to the north-east of Bahrein, 4 miles long, ^ mile wide. Other islands are, to the east, Sitra, 3 miles long and 1 mile broad, half its area being fertile ; Nabi Saleh, about 2 miles in circumference, very fertile ; Jezeyra, a small islet with a date plantation ; to the west are three rocky and uninhabited islets, Um Nahsan, Jidi, and Raka. The population of the two islands is put at about 90,000. Manameh, the capital and commercial centre, extends 3 miles along the shore ; 25,000 inhabitants. Moharek on the island of that name has about 25,000 inhabitants. Other towns are Badeya on Bahrein Island, and Had on Moharek Island. There are about 100 villages in the islands. There are thousands of tombs in tlie shape of conical mounds situated in the interior of the islands. They vary considerably in size, some of them being as much as 100 yards in diameter, and 40 feet in height, entailing vast labour of construction. Inside are regular masonry burial chambers. No certainty as to origin yet exists owing to want of inscriptions, but they would offer great interest to any archaeologist, as they are undoubtedly extremely ancient.

The ruling family, Al Khalifa, and most of the townsmen are Mohamme- dans of the Sunni (Maliki) sect. The town population consists of Arabs who have come from Nejd within the last 200 years, and negroes. The agricul- tural population and the Bahrein pearl divers are mostly of the Shiah sect. The present chief of Bahrein is Sheikh Esa. His uncle, Mahomed, was de- posed by the British in 1867, and Sheikh Ali, his father, installed in his place. In 1869 Ali was killed, and Sheikh Esa succeeded to power.

The great industry is the pearl fishery, in which 900 boats, of from 8 to 60 men each, are engaged. The Bahrein Islands also produce dates, and a remarkably fine breed of donkeys. Sail cloth is manufactured ex- tensively, and also reed mats. In 1910-11, imports amounted to 1,777,134/.; exports, 1,305,555Z. There are 5 per cent, ad valorein im^iOTt duties. The importation of arms and ammunition is prohibited.

The chief imports in 1910-11 were: specie, 505,197^. ; pearls, 398,333Z. ; rice, grain and pulse, 295,472/. ; coffee, 41,515/.; cattle, 25, 653Z. ; dates, 32,749Z. ; cottons, 70,670/. Of the exports, the only natural exports were : pearls, 928,533/., and oyster-shells, 28,543/., but owing to its situation, harbour, and good service of steamers, the port is largely used as a place of trans-shipment for mainland goods, and there were re-exportations of rice, grain and pulse, 56,627/. ; dates, 24,315/. ; cottons, 31,253/. ; coffee, 10,449/. Of the imports in 1910-11, 56-7 per cent, were from British Empire ; 12*0 per cent, from Turkish Arabia ; and 5 "7 per cent, from Persia. Of the exports in 1910-11, 72*6 per cent, went to British Empire; 7 '3 per cent, to Turkish Arabia ; and 2*0 per cent, to Germany. In 1910-11, the following shipping entered the port of Bahrein : —

—

Steam

Sailing

Number

Tonnage

Number

Tonnage

British.

104

166,167

32

3,4.40

German

11

25,287

—

—

Turkish Arabia

17

8,810

31

820

Persia

__

520

13,560

Muskat

—

10

1,030

Trucial Oman.

—

75

1,730

Koweit

— *

100

5,800

Qatar

—

—

49

1,890

Totals

132

200,264

817

28,279