Fareej el-Makharqa
Fareej el-Makharqa or Al-Makharga (Arabic: فريج المخارقة) is a neighborhood in the heart of Manama, the capital of Bahrain. It is adjacent to Fareej el-Hammam, Fareej el-Hatab, Fareej el-Fadhel, and Gudaibiya.
History
Its name derives from the ancient craft of piercing pearls and making jewelery.
For centuries, it was and still is a stone in the government's throat due to its political rights demands. It holds the most important meetings of the opposition parties. Therefore, meetings of the opposing movements from all over Bahrain were held in the influential Shiite mosque Masjid Mu'min and the Sunni mosque Jami'a Al-Mihza'.
Nowadays, it is a sacred district in the old city of Manama, in which religious gatherings are held, especially during the month of Muharram and in Ashura, the sacred day of Shia Islam in which Imam Hussain, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad, was killed by the Umayyad ruler Yazid ibn Muawiyah.
Families from Al Makharga
Some of the families that originate from Al Makharga are:
Bahrani (original inhabitants of the district)
- Alsalman, السلمان (Shia family that belongs to the Abdulqays tribe, not the Sunni family belonging to the tribe of Anizzah whose origins lay in Al-Hasa)
- Algassab, القصاب
- Zabar, زبر
- Ni'ma, نعمة (sometimes called Al Ni'ma) آل نعمة
- Alsaleh, الصالح
- Alnajjar, النجار
- Albaqlawa, البقلاوة
- Al Ibrahim, آل ابراهيم
- Jawad, جواد
- Bin Khalaf, بن خلف
- Alhalwachi, الحلواجي
- Almahroos, المحروس
- Alshayeb, الشايب
- Almansoor, المنصور
- Alanzoor العنزور
- Almahoozi الماحوزي
- Alkhawaja الخواجة (from the Fareej el-Hammam part of the district)
- Saif سيف (sometimes called Al Saif آل سيف)
- Al Aghtam الأغتم(sometimes called Al Ghatam الغتم)
- Abu Aqlain أبو عقلين
- Bin Daifi' بن ديفع (now called Mdaifi' مديفع), a branch of the Arab Bahrani Zabar family which migrated to Lanja, Iran and returned to Bahrain after staying in Lanja which was then inhabited by Arabian tribes for a significant amount of time.
Ajam (Shia Persian immigrants)
- Alraheemi الرحيمي
- Kazrooni كازروني
- Sakhoona سخونة
- Baljeek بلجيك
- Dewani ديواني
- Aseeri أسيري
- A branch of the Dashti family فرع من عائلة دشتي
Sunnis (Sunni Persian immigrants)
- Al-Kooheji الكوهجي
- Janahi جناحي
- Al-Khaja الخاجة
Matams
Some of the matams or hussainias in Al Makharga are:
- Matam Bin Rajab, مأتم بن رجب first Matam in all of Manama
- Matam Madan مأتم مدن
- Matam Zabar (Matam Bin Zabar), مأتم زبر او يسمى أيضاً مأتم بن زبر established by Ahmad bin Nasser Zabar in the 19th century. All members of the Zabar family trace their ancestry to him.
- Matam Alajam Alkabeer مأتم العجم الكبير
- Matam Algassab مأتم القصاب
- Matam Bin Saloom مأتم بن سلوم
- Matam Alahsaiyeen مأتم الأحسائيين
- Matam Aljahramiya مأتم الجهرمية
- Matam Alajah مأتم العجة
- Matam Bin Khalaf مأتم بن خلف
- Matam Dashti مأتم دشتي
- Matam AlBad'e مأتم البدع
- Matam Abu Aqlain مأتم أبو عقلين
- Matam Al Aghtam مأتم الأغتم
People from Fareej el-Makharga killed during uprisings against the government
- Faysal Abbas Algassab, killed by security forces on April 14, 1965 during the 1965 uprising
- Ali Algassab
