Awal
- For the acronym meaning "Absent Without Authorized Leave", see AWOL
- For the digital distribution company "Artists Without A Label", see AWAL
- For the digital 1967 Malayalam film, see Awal (film)
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History of Bahrain |
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Ancient Bahrain |
Dilmun |
Tylos |
Awal |
Historical region |
Islam in Bahrain |
Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami |
Qarmatians |
Uyunid dynasty |
Usfurid and Jarwanid dynasties |
Jabrid dynasty |
Portuguese occupation |
Muqrin ibn Zamil |
Antonio Correia |
Safavid hegemony (1602–1717) |
1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain |
History of Bahrain (1783–1971) |
1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain |
Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship (1861) |
1895 coup d'etat attempt and first oil well (1932) |
National Union Committee |
March 1965 Intifada |
State of Bahrain |
State Security Law era |
1981 coup d'état attempt |
1990s Uprising |
Kingdom of Bahrain |
2011–2012 uprising |
Bahrain portal |
Awal (Arabic: أوال) is an ancient name of Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf. The name Awal had remained in use, probably for eight centuries. Awal was derived from the name of a god that used to be worshiped by the inhabitants of the islands before the advent of Islam. Awal resembled the head of an ox. As for the meaning of this name, there are[1] ʼawwal 'first, first part, previous'; ʼawwalan 'firstly, at first'; ʼawwalī 'prime, primordial, original'.
Before Islam Bahrain's administrative name was Mishmahig<ref name="Mojtahed-Zadeh"J>Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography By Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh, page 119</ref> and it was also called Tylos by the Ancient Greeks. If the name /Tulos/ is related to /ṭiwal/ 'rope with which the feet of draught-cattle are tied together',[2] then the cattle-representation of this deity may be thus confirmed.