Many of the inhabitants of Qatar were introduced to Christianity after the religion was dispersed eastward by Mesopotamian Christians from 224 AD onwards. Monasteries were constructed in Qatar during this era. During the latter part of the Christian era, Qatar was known by the
Syriac name 'Beth Qatraye'. A variant of this was 'Beth Catara'. The name translates to 'region of the Qataris'. In the fifth century AD, Beth Qatraye was the main centre of the Nestorian Christian Church of the East, which ruled the southern shores of the Persian Gulf. The Nestorians were often persecuted for being viewed as heretics by the
Byzantine Empire, but Eastern Arabia was outside the control of the Byzantine Empire and the region provided some security. In 628, most of the Arab tribes converted to
Islam. It is likely that some settled populations in Qatar did not immediately convert to Islam. Other notable Christian scholars dating to this period who hailed from the Qatari Peninsula include
Dadisho Qatraya,
Gabriel of Qatar,
Gabriel Arya and Ahob of Qatar. In 674, the bishops of Beth Qatraye stopped attending synods; although the practice of Christianity persisted in the region until the late 9th century. In September 1988, the Qatari government lifted its prohibition against public worship by Christians and other non-Islamic faiths, following negotiations between US Ambassador
Joseph Ghougassian and Emir
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. ==Denominations==