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The 623rd and final burial plot was filled following a funeral in the Christian Cemetery in Salmabad at the weekend as church and community leaders wait anxiously on a promised donation of new land to come to fruition.
There is little room left to squeeze in any more deceased believers and digging up the footpaths may be the only choice. Otherwise, expats may have no alternative but to pay thousands of dinars to have the bodies of their loved ones repatriated to their home countries in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas.
St Christopher’s Cathedral dean, The Very Reverend Christopher Butt, said: “The Christian Cemetery Committee has raised the issue of the urgent need of land with the relevant authorities and we are assured that this is being seriously considered and that possible sites have been identified. It has also been raised by the priests and ministers of the longer established churches in Bahrain several times.
“We are looking at every possible corner of unused space in the cemetery and there are some which can be used, but the space is finite and the reality is that before too long there will not be any space for burial in the Christian Cemetery.
“The Bahrain Government is aware of the seriousness of the situation and from all that I have heard, I believe that we can be hopeful that land will be provided soon.”
All options have been looked at to make full use of the existing site, which dates back to 1961, such as digging deeper holes to make extra room.
“This is a regular practice in the UK and perhaps in many other countries, for those from the same family and there is no reason why it could not be done where the ground permits it here, but for the most part those buried in Bahrain are single people or those whose families are in their home country,” said The Very Rev Butt.
“The ground can be very rocky and physically this can be very challenging to prepare a double depth grave. Consecrated ground means that it is set apart and once someone is buried the interred remains should not be disturbed; in the Christian tradition there is a sacred respect for someone’s mortal remains.
“There is a great mix of different people buried in the cemetery and many young children and stillborn infants, as well as adults from all over the world.”
The alternative choice of cremation in Bahrain also poses its problems: There is a crematorium run by the Hindu community, not far from the Awali Golf Club, but understandably it is done in a Hindu style in the open air behind a fenced compound. For Christians from the Indian sub-continent cremation, culturally, it’s not an option – they always opt for burial. For Westerners the way cremation is conducted is very far removed from their experience and many choose repatriation or burial.
British Ambassador Iain Lindsay, the Bahrain Christian Cemeteries Committee chairman, says he has been in discussions with the Bahrain authorities since last summer trying to identify an area on the island for a third cemetery.
The original cemetery, containing 430 graves, was established in Gudaibiya in 1901 and still hosts the Act of Remembrance for servicemen and women killed in action which is staged annually at 11am on November 11.
“Just four or five weeks ago I raised the issue again, explaining that only a handful of allocated plots remained and it appears they are in the process of identifying an area for us. After this weekend, the sooner it is done the better,” he said.
It is understood that the royal family will be donating land able to hold around 300 graves, which will last the Christian community for 30 years but the process is currently caught up in bureaucratic red tape.
Once land is provided there will undoubtedly be a need to make it suitable to use as a cemetery, which will delay matters further.
It will need to be walled and the Christian Cemeteries Committee will be looking to the expatriate community and the support of local businesses to help raise the funds necessary to carry out the work.
