Sanabes
Encyclopedia
Sanabes is one of the villages in Tarut Island
, the biggest island that is located on the east coast Saudi Arabia
in the Persian Gulf
. Sanabes extends on Tarut beach for about four kilometers which starts from what used to be called the Elementary School of Ammar Ibn Yasser and now Middle school of Sanabes until Al-Saffar Farm , bounded by Al Rabai’yah southwest and by Tarut village to the west, Al-Zoor to the north and Darain to the south.
The location has two advantages: The fertile soil and excellent fishing places.It is interesting to note that there is also a village called Sanabes in neighbouring Bahrain, a few miles from the capital, Manama. Like the Saudi Sanabes, the Bahraini village of Sanabes is also populated by Shi'a Muslims.
(Diving). It was one port in the Gulf region where the sailors and fishermen ships settles on its coast. The number of fishing boats was about 140 boats. As a result, Sanabes represent an important place among sailors and pearl merchants. However, Sanabes fishers now are using Zour or Dareen jetty
.
; old Islamic ; and Portuguese
Covenants; unfortunately, all of them destroyed, nothing in Sanabes - except only districts : the northern sector, and the southern district, and nearly for the four decades they expended to be dependably new ones ((City workers residential)) resulted in ((Al Saffar farm residential)) to the south of Sanabes in the eighties, in extended housing in the past few years westerly direction with the accomplishment of Al-Noor sports club center and planning the land surrounding it.
Some famous landmarks in Sanabes:
. Recently, an annual festival is held in Sanabes known as the "Dokhalah Festival" which also highlights the regional culture and heritage. The Dokhalah is known in the Gulf States
as well.
To describe it, Dokhalah is the name of handmade flowerpot. It made of palm tree vanes and take a cylindrical shape. It is in small size and vary handy to 3–5 years old child. It is filled with sand and implants with barley seeds. It kept to germinating and growing till barley get 5 to 10 centimeter in height, then it became ready as Dokhalah.
Nowadays, it is introduced in very nice look and implants with flowers in addition to barley. Each children him/her self is taking care of their Dokhalah and irrigate it on daily basis till grow and takes its final good shape as flowerpot. This practice initiates a good relation and connection between the children and their Dokhalah, so it became beloved to them.
Eid-Holiday. Dokhalah ceremonies started since more than 200 years ago by gathering the children in each neighborhood near the coast and start a special song for Dokhalah and at end they through it to the sea water.
In the past, the pilgrims were travelling for long time in order to perform Hajj
as no transportation means, and the parent forced to leave their children with their relatives for about 2–3 months. The Dokhalah began as pastime for the children to mitigate the impact of parent long travel to Hajj.
In Eid Al-Adha the pilgrims are doing one of the Hajj
rituals which are called sacrifice by slaughter the coat (Qurban). The children were waiting their parents in very warm situation as this day is the sign of Hajj
day toward the end and start back journey. So they are sharing their parents by doing another sacrifice which is throwing his very nice Dokhalah to sea water. Question may raise, why throwing it to the sea?, because it add value to the sea environment as fish eat the grass of Dokhalah.
The Dokhalah ceremony has nothing to do with the believes or any ritual religion, it is an expression about happiness of Eid Al-Adha’s advent and it is one of the most greatest holiday in Islam
. Dokhalah event started during first day for Eid Al-Adha where Muslims performed their hajj at Makkah, so that, in the Dokhalah song each child solicit in.
Children are praying to Allah
to give them opportunity to perform hajj
when them became young and meet again with their parents, so that is the meaning of Dokhalah song. This is one way that their fathers thought them how to remember hajj and make objective to perform it as an major issue.
This practice was discontinued gradually due to life grown up and diminishing the down town life style. Also, the second generation has lost the interest to continue what they were gained from their old generation. In addition to that, the new generation did not attended celebration and nobody taught them about Dokhalah.
This tradition is also practiced in Kuwait and Bahrain. In Bahrain it is known as Hiyya Biyya. Research suggests that it very ancient, and may well predate the coming of Islam: see the reference by Holes below.
In 2005, the idea was more crystallized and the event took different shape than in 2004. The year 2006 is synchronized with the establishment of Sanabes Central Social Committee which is an official committee followed to Qatif
head quarter committee. All reports to Ministry of Society Affairs. Working under the Sanabes committee umbrellas gave chance to work comfortably through authorized work structure and facilitate the all license difficulties.
Working through past three years revealed that people like their heritage and demonstrated massive interest to participate in of Dokhalah Festival. Questionnaire, made the year of 2006 reveal that 100% of attendance agreed to continue this ceremony. This is great success and excellent start and more challenge for coming year, especially, when people know that Sanabes village now is the only which is doing such traditional event and focus is more this year to made another success. In 2007, people expected that most of near-by neighborhoods will participate in attending the Dokhalah Festival.
Tarut Island
Tarut Island is an island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Saudi Arabia.-Location:It is the second longest island in the Persian Gulf after Qeshm Island which is the biggest island in the Gulf...
, the biggest island that is located on the east coast Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. Sanabes extends on Tarut beach for about four kilometers which starts from what used to be called the Elementary School of Ammar Ibn Yasser and now Middle school of Sanabes until Al-Saffar Farm , bounded by Al Rabai’yah southwest and by Tarut village to the west, Al-Zoor to the north and Darain to the south.
The location has two advantages: The fertile soil and excellent fishing places.It is interesting to note that there is also a village called Sanabes in neighbouring Bahrain, a few miles from the capital, Manama. Like the Saudi Sanabes, the Bahraini village of Sanabes is also populated by Shi'a Muslims.
Population
Population is currently estimated at 7 thousand people. Sanabes people in the past used to work in fishing and the extraction of Pearl huntingPearl hunting
Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from pearl oysters, freshwater pearl mussels and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing molluscs, such as abalone.-History:...
(Diving). It was one port in the Gulf region where the sailors and fishermen ships settles on its coast. The number of fishing boats was about 140 boats. As a result, Sanabes represent an important place among sailors and pearl merchants. However, Sanabes fishers now are using Zour or Dareen jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
.
History
Sanabes contains many archaeological stuff from the OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
; old Islamic ; and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Covenants; unfortunately, all of them destroyed, nothing in Sanabes - except only districts : the northern sector, and the southern district, and nearly for the four decades they expended to be dependably new ones ((City workers residential)) resulted in ((Al Saffar farm residential)) to the south of Sanabes in the eighties, in extended housing in the past few years westerly direction with the accomplishment of Al-Noor sports club center and planning the land surrounding it.
Some famous landmarks in Sanabes:
- Ayn Um Al Fursan (Water Spring): One of the well known springs in Sanabes.
- Alwazarah: Grove of the Grapevines and Palm trees, a popular place to walk and promenade
- Sheikh Mohammed Al Mubarak Mosque: It is one of the oldest and largest mosques in Sanabes.
Religion
People who live in Tarut Island and the province of Qatif, the majority of them are Shia Muslims. Except those who live in Dareen (Arabic: دارين), all of them are Sunni Muslims.Al Noor Club
Al Noor Club , A well known for its strong handball team that was able to achieve several championships in the combination excellent Saudi and Gulf Club Championships and also at the level of Arab States Handball Clubs. besides it accomplished high achievements in boxing, and basketball. Al-Noor Club was established in 1961.Dokhalah Festival
The Dokhalah is a pottery pot with some seedling planted in (such as barley), children take care of at the beginning of Pilgrimage Month. When Eid Al Adha day comes, children throw them toward the sea while chanting "Dokhlti Haji be..etc" it is well known in Sanabes in the eastern region of Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Recently, an annual festival is held in Sanabes known as the "Dokhalah Festival" which also highlights the regional culture and heritage. The Dokhalah is known in the Gulf States
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....
as well.
To describe it, Dokhalah is the name of handmade flowerpot. It made of palm tree vanes and take a cylindrical shape. It is in small size and vary handy to 3–5 years old child. It is filled with sand and implants with barley seeds. It kept to germinating and growing till barley get 5 to 10 centimeter in height, then it became ready as Dokhalah.
Nowadays, it is introduced in very nice look and implants with flowers in addition to barley. Each children him/her self is taking care of their Dokhalah and irrigate it on daily basis till grow and takes its final good shape as flowerpot. This practice initiates a good relation and connection between the children and their Dokhalah, so it became beloved to them.
How did Dokhalah origin?
Dokhalah is an activity origin in gulf area since very long time ago. It became as the area’s custom and revive every year in tradition ceremony at HajjHajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
Eid-Holiday. Dokhalah ceremonies started since more than 200 years ago by gathering the children in each neighborhood near the coast and start a special song for Dokhalah and at end they through it to the sea water.
In the past, the pilgrims were travelling for long time in order to perform Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
as no transportation means, and the parent forced to leave their children with their relatives for about 2–3 months. The Dokhalah began as pastime for the children to mitigate the impact of parent long travel to Hajj.
In Eid Al-Adha the pilgrims are doing one of the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
rituals which are called sacrifice by slaughter the coat (Qurban). The children were waiting their parents in very warm situation as this day is the sign of Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
day toward the end and start back journey. So they are sharing their parents by doing another sacrifice which is throwing his very nice Dokhalah to sea water. Question may raise, why throwing it to the sea?, because it add value to the sea environment as fish eat the grass of Dokhalah.
The Dokhalah ceremony has nothing to do with the believes or any ritual religion, it is an expression about happiness of Eid Al-Adha’s advent and it is one of the most greatest holiday in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Dokhalah event started during first day for Eid Al-Adha where Muslims performed their hajj at Makkah, so that, in the Dokhalah song each child solicit in.
Children are praying to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
to give them opportunity to perform hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
when them became young and meet again with their parents, so that is the meaning of Dokhalah song. This is one way that their fathers thought them how to remember hajj and make objective to perform it as an major issue.
This practice was discontinued gradually due to life grown up and diminishing the down town life style. Also, the second generation has lost the interest to continue what they were gained from their old generation. In addition to that, the new generation did not attended celebration and nobody taught them about Dokhalah.
This tradition is also practiced in Kuwait and Bahrain. In Bahrain it is known as Hiyya Biyya. Research suggests that it very ancient, and may well predate the coming of Islam: see the reference by Holes below.
The first Dokhalah Festival
In 2004, very few people from the middle and old generations were interested and eager to reactivate not only Dokhalah events but other heritage in the area that related to their grandfathers’ life which includes skills, building style, and old traditional games (entertainments). They started the idea of reactivate Dokhalah ceremony and they succeeded in announcing and gathering children at the coast and done exactly what was practiced in the past. This event really ringed the bill to majority of people about Dokhalah. This start helped people to start talking to their children about Dokhalah history and the wheel started again.In 2005, the idea was more crystallized and the event took different shape than in 2004. The year 2006 is synchronized with the establishment of Sanabes Central Social Committee which is an official committee followed to Qatif
Qatif
Qatif or Al-Qatif is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the east to King Fahd International Airport in the west...
head quarter committee. All reports to Ministry of Society Affairs. Working under the Sanabes committee umbrellas gave chance to work comfortably through authorized work structure and facilitate the all license difficulties.
Working through past three years revealed that people like their heritage and demonstrated massive interest to participate in of Dokhalah Festival. Questionnaire, made the year of 2006 reveal that 100% of attendance agreed to continue this ceremony. This is great success and excellent start and more challenge for coming year, especially, when people know that Sanabes village now is the only which is doing such traditional event and focus is more this year to made another success. In 2007, people expected that most of near-by neighborhoods will participate in attending the Dokhalah Festival.