Jannusan
Jannusan
جنوسان | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  Jannusan Location in Bahrain | |
| Coordinates: 26°14′N 50°30′E / 26.233°N 50.500°E | |
| Country |  Bahrain |
| Governorate | Northern |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
Jannusan (Arabic: جنوسان) is a village in the Northern Governorate of Bahrain. It is known for its gardens and orchards, which are frequented by tourists. The area's historical catering to tourists has caused grievances between the Bahraini government and the local populace, with residents complaining of inadequate housing and cramped living spaces. In response, the government has built and subsidized social housing in the village in conjunction with the country's major banks.
Etymology
[edit]There are a number of explanations for how the name Jannusan came to be. According to Bahraini historian Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Tajer, Jannusan is a warped portmanteau of the Arabic words for jinn (a supernatural being in Arab and Islamic mythology) and human. Meanwhile, the philologist Al-Nasiri wrote that Jannusan is a corruption of the Dilmun name Jun San. Locals meanwhile insist the name is of Persian origin, a distortion of the words "paradise of man" in the Persian language, a reference to the picturesque landscape surrounding the village.[1]
Social issues
[edit]Adequate housing has historically been a point of contention between locals and the Bahraini government. In 2004, residents claimed that less than ten percent of the land in the village was inhabited by locals, while the rest consisted of gardens and orchards meant to attract foreign tourists.[1] The Bahrain-based Ithmaar Bank announced in May 2021 that it had begun offering financing for villas at the Danaat Al Baraka complex in Jannusan, as part of the government's social housing scheme to help Bahraini nationals purchase their first homes.[2][3] The following month, the Al Baraka Islamic Bank announced that the complex's first residents had moved in.[4]
Pro-democracy protests took place in Jannusan in 2013,[5] and again in 2023, amid hunger strikes by imprisoned democracy activists.[6]
Tourism
[edit]As part of its 2021 national revitalization campaign, the government-run Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) installed signs at the Jannusan Tylos Necropolis, with QR codes directing visitors to a website and video with further information in Arabic and English.[7]
Accidents
[edit]The collapse of an under-construction building in Jannusan at 8 a.m. on 22 July 2018 seriously injured five people. It was the first such accident in the village and prompted an investigation by the interior ministry.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b قرية تحاصرها الهموم ... والسكن في الصدارة «جنة الإنسان» تضيق بأهالي جنوسان [A village besieged by worries ... and housing is at the forefront: 'Human Paradise' is too small for the people of Jannusan]. Alwasat News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 15 August 2015.
- ^ "Ithmaar Bank launches special financing offers for Danaat Al Baraka villas". Daily Tribune. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Bahrain Business: NBB to hold roadshow at Danaat Al Baraka project". Gulf Daily News. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "AIB completes first handover in Danat Al Baraka Project". Daily Tribune. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Bahrain: More than a Quarter of a million demanding Democracy". AhlulBayt News Agency. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Bahrain prisoners suspend hunger strike as government shows flexibility". The Arab Weekly. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Revitalising Bahrain's rich cultural heritage and tourism". Daily Tribune. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Zafran, Mohammed (23 July 2018). "Five injured in worksite accident, probe on to find the reason behind accident". Daily Tribune. Retrieved 18 June 2025.