Language
They speak southern Persian dialects distinctive to the cities they have originated from, e.g.: Lari, tajiki kalani, lori kalani, etc. For example:
- "Why" in official Persian dialect is "baráye che" (Persian: برای چه؟) while in southern Persian dialect is "seche" (Persian: سیچه؟)
- "Money" in official Persian dialect is "Púl" (Persian: پول) while in southern Persian dialect is "payse" (Persian: پِیسه)
- "Do you want water?" in official Persian dialect is "áb mikháhi" (Persian: آب می خواهی؟) while in southern Persian dialect is "ow mikhay" (Persian: اُو مي خای؟)
In addition to this, many names of villages in Bahrain are derived from Farsi. These names were thought to have been as a result influences during the Safavid rule of Bahrain (1501–1722) and previous Persian rule. Village names such as Karbabad, Salmabad, Karzakan, Duraz, Barbar were originally derived from Farsi, suggesting that Persians had a substantial effect on the island's history.
| Village name | Translation |
|---|---|
| Shakhura (Arabic: شاخورة ) | Stable of Kings |
| Jurdab (Arabic: جرداب ) | Whirlpool |
| Shahrekan (Arabic: شهركان ) | Old Town |
| Salmabad (Arabic: سلماباد ) | Inhabited Peace or Forever Peace |
| Karbabad (Arabic: كرباباد | Derived from a plant name |
| Demistan (Arabic: دمستان) | Comes from the word Dabistan, meaning school |
| Daih (Arabic: ديه) | Village |
| Karrana (Arabic: كرانه | The Coast |
| Diraz (Arabic: دراز) | Long |
| Manama (Arabic: المنامه) | Derived from two words, meaning I and Speech |
| Samaheej (Arabic: سماهيج) | Three fish |
The local Bahrani Arabic of Bahrain had also borrowed many words from the Persian language. Some examples are:
- Chandal (woods used in constructing the roof of old buildings)
- Baadgeer (towers with single or two, three or four sided openings above dwellings in order to let wind air into the building to create a current and hence cool the air inside the lower floor rooms)
- Surwaal - trousers.
- Jurab - socks.
- Sirdaab - cellar
- Tannuur - coal oven.
Read more about this topic: Iranians In Bahrain
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