city
Mashmahig (Samahij), Bahrain
Samaheej, Muharraq Island, Bahrain · Gulf
26.283, 50.633
Attested. The see is attested in synod acts; the building's identification as the bishop's palace is the excavators' interpretation.
Mashmahig (Samahij), Bahrain
Samaheej, Muharraq Island
Mashmahig was the earliest and largest diocese of Beth Qatraye, with Bishop Elijah at the synod of 410; it is last mentioned around 650. Excavations at Samahij by the University of Exeter and Bahrain's culture authority found a building published in 2024 as a likely bishop's residence, with plaster crosses and Chi-Rho graffiti.
Source stance: insider. Synod acts (insider) plus archaeology (neutral).
People and groups named here
- Elijah of Mashmahig (410)
- Timothy Insoll (excavation director)
Related places
Sources
- Samaheej (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Dioceses of the Church of the East to 1318 (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Christianity in pre-Islamic Arabia (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors. Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.