Bahrani people

The Baharna (Arabic: بحراني ، بحارنة‎) are an ethnoreligious group whom mainly inhabit the historical region of Eastern Arabia. They are regarded by some scholars to be the original inhabitants of the Bahrain archipelago. Most Shia Bahraini citizens are ethnic Baharna. Regions with most of the population are Eastern Arabia, Bahrain, Qatif, Al-Hasa, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran, Iraq

Origin

The origin of Baharna is uncertain; there are different theories regarding their origins. Several Western scholars believe the Baharna originate from Bahrain's pre-Islamic population which consisted of partially Christianized Arabs, Persian Zoroastrians, Jews and Aramaic-speaking agriculturalists. According to one historian, Arab settlements in Bahrain may have begun around 300 B.C. and control of the island was maintained by the Rabyah tribe, who converted to Islam in 630 A.D. One theory claims the Baharna "immigrated to Bahrain during the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphates from different parts of the Muslim world."