Page 281 - Records of Bahrain (2)(ii)_Neat

Topography and archacolog)>, 1878-1879 607

226 TIIE ISLANDS OF lUIIRETN.

or Birin, are noticed in many other authorities, though
their precise locality is unknown, but *thc rest belong,
I think, exclusively to the holy war. Of other names in the
vicinity, I may notice that the Zarkd l^j of Mokadassl is
evidently the XapKoi] of Ptolemy, while Qatar, (modern
GaUar, south of Bahrein), represents his Kabdpa.1 With
regard to Gcrrha itself, the great mart of commcrco between
the East and West from the very earliest times to the second
or third century of our era, there can be no doubt that it was
situated at a short distance inland (Strabo, following Andro-
sthcncs, says 200 stadia) from the mouth of the creek imme­
diately opposite to Bahrein. Capt. Durand speaks of ruins
at that spot, and says that they still retain tho name of
Geriyeh, but I am not aware that the locality has been visited
bjr any traveller in recent times, though it would probably
well repay the trouble of examination. I have a strong
suspicion myself that, as the emporium of the Indian trade in
the Gulf, it represents tho Ophir of the Bible, and the Ajiirak •
or Milnkh of the Inscriptions, the sister port of Mayan (the
MayluSauci of Ptolemy) being cither at D’/iclam, or at Ojair, or
in the immediate vicinity. There is no trace of such names
as Mayan and Milukh now remaining, but Gcrrha has pro­

bably survived in the Arabic Jcr'd which means
generally u a sandy desert,” but which I find in Ibn-IIowkars
account of the wars of tho Carmathian heretics applied to a
considerable place in tho vicinity of El-Alisa? The Gcrrhccans,
who monopolized tho carrying trado between tho Persian
Gulf and Syria, and who founded Gcrrha for the convenience

Mokadnssi (p. 71) Bays of Hajar or Hahrciu, that its capital is Jil-Ahsd, and
its chief places Sabun, As-Zarka, fll-'Uqcir, and Auxtl, whilo Yamdmoh is a
dependency. El-Ahsfi (mod. JJittsm) ho describes moro particularly as “tho
cnnital of .1 Tn jar, which is also called Hah rein ; a largo place with abundanco of
palms, and very populous, hut notorious for heat and drought; ahout^ono stago
iroui tho sea . . . and tho chief placo of tho Cnnnathiana, etc.” Vaciit odds
that lil-Ahm is “a well-known town of Uahroin. It was founded and fortified
and made the capital of Jlajar, by Abu-Tahir El-llassau, 6on of Abu-Sa id, tho
Carmathian leader, and is still a cclobratcd and very populous place.”
furthor says that tho namo of Euhroin comes from “ a certain lako (or llohcirch)
tit tho gate of tho town of Al-Ahsa, which is about three miles squaro, and tho
water of which is stagnant and salt, and of no uso for cultivation. Al-Alisa is
about ton farsakhs from tho soa.”
* JSdit. do Gocjo, p. 22.

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