The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf is one of four dioceses in the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, a province in the Anglican Communion. It covers Cyprus and the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Yemen. The bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf [1] is the Ordinary of the diocese. In every part of the diocese, except in Cyprus and Iraq, the congregations are largely expatriate, with many Christians from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the African continent. The diocese is linked with the Diocese of Exeter in England and the Diocese of Thika in Kenya. The diocese is divided into the Archdeaconry of Cyprus and the Archdeaconry of the Gulf: Christopher Futcher was collated archdeacon in Cyprus on 7 September 2019. [2] The Rev'd Canon Dr. Michael Mbona, a Zimbabwean serving at St. Paul's in Kuwait, was appointed as Archdeacon for the Gulf, following the retirement of long-serving Archdeacon Bill Schwartz, OBE.
(Any dates appearing in italics indicate de facto continuation of office. The start date of tenure below is the date of appointment or succession. Where known, the date of installation and ordination as bishop are listed in the notes together with the post held prior to appointment.)
| Tenure | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 to 1981 | Leonard Ashton | Inaugural bishop; died 2001 |
| 1981 to 1986 | Henry Wylie Moore | General secretary, Church Missionary Society, 1986–89, retired as bishop in 1991 |
| 1986 to 1996 | John Brown | Briefly rural dean of Grimsby (2003 to 2004); died 2011 |
| 1997 to 2007 | Clive Handford | Now an assistant bishop, Diocese of Ripon and Leeds |
| 2007 to present | Michael Lewis | Formerly bishop of Middleton |
Gulf Churches [3]
Kuwait
Qatar
Bahrain
Yemen
Cyprus [4]
The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East is a province of the Anglican Communion. The primate of the church is called President Bishop and represents the Church at the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meetings. The Central Synod of the church is its deliberative and legislative organ.
The flag of the United Arab Emirates contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black. It was designed in 1971 by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was 19 years old at that time, and was adopted on 2 December 1971 after winning a nationwide flag design contest. The main theme of the flag's four colors is the sovereignty and unity of the Arab states.
Hinduism has been found in the Middle East since the early 16th century. Millions of members of the Indian diaspora, of different religions, reside and work in Arab states of the Persian Gulf; many of them are Hindu. Many came due to the migration of Indians and Nepalese expatriates and employees to the area around the Persian Gulf.
The Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
According to the 2005 census, Christians accounted for 9 percent of the total population of the United Arab Emirates; estimates in 2010 suggested a figure of 12.6%.
Armenians in United Arab Emirates refers to ethnic Armenians living in the United Arab Emirates. They number around 5,000.
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation PJSC is a hotel management company in the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans and Turkey. It has a portfolio of over 100 properties in 26 cities and operates six sub brands which include Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels by Rotana, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana, Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana, Edge by Rotana and The Residences by Rotana.
The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces, with the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1892.
The history and development of British currency in the Middle East emerged from the 19th century. British involvement in the Middle East began with the Aden Settlement in 1839. The British East India Company established an anti-piracy station in Aden to protect British shipping that was sailing to and from India. The Trucial States were similarly brought into the British Empire as a base for suppressing sea piracy in the Persian Gulf. Involvement in the region expanded to Egypt because of the Suez canal, as well as to Bahrain, Qatar, and Muscat. Kuwait was added in 1899 because of fears about the proposed Berlin-Baghdad Railway. There was a growing fear in the United Kingdom that Germany was a rising power, and there was concern about the implications of access to the Persian Gulf that would arise from the Berlin-Baghdad Railway. After the First World War the British influence in the Middle East reached its fullest extent with the inclusion of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq.
The 20th Arabian Gulf Cup was the twentieth edition of the biannual Gulf Cup competition, and took place in Aden, Yemen, from 22 November to 5 December 2010. The tournament was held in Yemen for the first time in the tournament's history, and this edition celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cup and the 20th anniversary of the tournament.
The Holy Trinity Church is an inter-denominational Christian church in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of the Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. It was founded on 5 April 1970, on the land granted by the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
The Chaplaincy of Dubai with Sharjah and the Northern Emirates is part of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. The Chaplaincy consists of five churches in the United Arab Emirates:
Established in 2000, Al Shamsi Holdings is a fast growing retail organization focusing on fashion in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The company represents international brands Desigual, Scotch & Soda, Vincci, Parfois, Okaidi and Tati. It is one of the leading retail companies in the GCC, employing over 500 multicultural staff, running over 75 stores.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi was an Emirati royal, politician and a founder of the United Arab Emirates who served as the ruler of Fujairah from 1938–1974. In 1952 he was to see his father's long-held dream of independence for Fujairah recognised by the British, the last Trucial State to be so recognised, as well as shortly afterwards to help take the UAE to independence as a nation, in 1971. Due to his skills in diplomacy and politics he was called the wolf of the Gulf.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The last Apostolic Vicar is Msgr. Paul Hinder, OFM Cap.
Sir Julian Fortay WalkerCMGMBE, also known by his initials J. F. Walker, was a British Arabist, author, cartographer, land surveyor, former military officer and a retired diplomat who worked closely with Sheikh Rashid while serving as the last British representative to the Trucial States in Dubai for 11-months during the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. He played an instrumental role in demarcating the present boundaries of the country's emirates as well as its borders with Oman during his capacity as an assistant political officer in the Trucial States and colonial Bahrain between the 1950s and 1960s.
