'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1160] (209/688)

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1160
MANAMAH
The military hospital is at the upper end of the town, and somewhat lower clown are
the tall oblong barracks and magazine ; the Government buildings, Hukumah, and post
office are substantial buildings ; all these are supplied with a very excellent water laid
on to them by a covered conduit leading from a good spring in a ravine in Jabal Shibam.
There are also a number of other perennial springs of good water which adequately
supply the town in general. .
The streets are steep and often just lead over bare and slippery rock—m some
instances they resemble badly -constructed staircases.
Harris says of Manakhah: " Of all the places it has ever been my lot to see, this is
the most wonderfully situated. The town is perched on a narrow strip of mountain
that joins two distinct ranges, and it forms the watershed of two great valleys. So
narrow is the ridge on which the town stands that the walls of the houses on both sides
seem almost to hang over a precipice."
MANAMAH—
The principal town and commercial metropolis of Bahrain ; it can hardly, however,
be described as the political capital, for the seat of Government is where the Shaikh is,
and he resides during the greater part of the year at Muharraq iown, not at Mana-
Situation and harbour. —Manamah is situated on the coast of Bahrain Island at its
north-eastern corner, on the northernmost point of the island ; it lies less than 2 miles
south-west by west of the town of Muharraq, from which it is separated by the tidal
channel connecting the Manamah anchorage with Khor-al-Qalai ah. The harbour
of Manamah, * the only one in Bahrain used by steam vessels, is sheltered by
the Bahrain and the Muharraq islands on the south and east respectively, by the
Fasht-al-Jarim on the north, and by the Fasht Khos Fasht on the north-west. The
outer anchorage, the nearest point to which steamers of 19 feet draught can approach
the town, lies 4 miles north-west of Manamah ; smaller vessels can run up to an inner
anchorage less than 2 miles off shore in the same direction. The water of the harbour
is clear, and the bottom over the greater part of it appears to consist of white sand in
patches interspersed with flat coral rock. The bottom shelves very gradually and
regularly up to the town, and even boats, at low water, cannot get within J of a mile
of the beach, but are obliged to discharge their passengers and cargo by means of
donkeys that come alongside ; these donkeys, 30 or 40 in number and belonging to the
large Bahrain breed, have been specially trained to work in the sea. A feature of the
harbour is the number of fish-weirs and nets which are always set.f
General aspect and buildings. —Including the suburbs of Ilas-ar-Rumman on the
north-east and Na'im-al-Kabirah on the south-west, Manamah now extends 1| miles
along the sea-front, and it has a depth inland of about J a mile. The general
aspect of the town is damp, squalid and depressing. The better houses are built
of small stones cemented together with mud or inferior mortar, which, failing out,
give them a rickety as well as an unwholesome appearance ; some of the tenements
are roomy, but often a good deal of the internal space is devoted to business offices
and godowns. The bazaar, in the centre of which is the market place, is a filthy labyr
inth of narrow lanes lined by shops and generally covered over with mats to keep out
the sun. The habitations in the outskirts are for the most part mat huts with sloping
roofs, standing in courtyards surrounded by hurdles of upright date fronds. There
are but few really good buildings. The best are the new British Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
towards the north-east end, between the town proper and Ras-ar-Rumman ; Qal-at-ad-
Dlwan or Manamah fort, the Shaikh's summer residence, a large construction in good
repair with several bastions, standing in the open plain behind the town between it and
the date gardens ; a neat and well built mansion belonging to his son Shaikh Hamad,
partly upper-storeyed, which is situated near the fort but somewhat further inland ;
and a large house with strong and high walls, situated near the south-west end of the
town and occupied until his flight in 1905 by Shaikh 'Ali-bin-Ahmad, a junior member
of the ruling family. The existing mosques are singularly plain and unpretentious,
•For the harbour and its approaches see Admiralty Plan No. 2377 — 20.
,.tSome remarks on the harbour by Admiral Atkiuson-WiUes, 11.Is' will bo found in the Government of India's
rohtical Proceedings for June 1904.