Welcome to The Beth Qaṭraye Gazetteer

General Editors: Dr. Haya Al Thani (Qatar University), Dr. Saif al-Murikhi (Qatar University), Dr. Abdulrahim Abu-Husayn (American University of Beirut), Dr. Abdul Rahman Chamseddine (Georgetown University in Qatar), and Dr. Mario Kozah (American University of Beirut).

Contributing Editors: Dr. Thomas Carlson (Oklahoma State University) and Tobias Scheunchen (University of Chicago)

Technical Editors: Dr. David A. Michelson (Vanderbilt University) and William L. Potter (Vanderbilt University)

Senior Programmer: Winona Salesky (Srophé Software)

Beth Qaṭraye, Syriac for “region of the Qataris”, is a term found in Syriac literature referring to the region of North-East Arabia including Qatar and Bahrain from the fourth to the ninth centuries. Beth Qaṭraye was an important cultural, linguistic and religious crossroads in the pre- Islamic and early Islamic period, when it produced one of the most widely translated Syriac authors of all time (Isaac of Nineveh, called after his bishopric, who is also known as Isaac Qaṭraya or “the Qatari”). A number of other important Syriac authors also came from Beth Qaṭraye in this period, and scholarship has so far only focused on these Syriac authors and their writings rather than other aspects of Beth Qaṭraye. The objective of The Beth Qaṭraye Gazetteer is to collect and analyze information on the pre-Islamic and early Islamic historical geography and toponyms of the Beth Qaṭraye region.

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The website for The Beth Qaṭraye Gazetteer was made possible by NPRP grant NPRP9-002-6-001 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation).

Support for The Beth Qaṭraye Gazetteer was provided by:

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The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors.