GERRHA, ancient port on the Arabian coast of the Persian gulf inhabited by Chaldean exiles from Babylon (Strabo, Bk. xvi., and Pliny, Hist. Nat. vi. 32). Various identifications of the site have been suggested (Qatif, Kuwait, Salwa), but the ancient name is unquestionably preserved in that of modern 'Uqair (pro nounced Ujair, Ojer) as suggested by Philby. Cheesman in 1923 discovered ruins here which tend to confirm this conjecture though the matter still requires further examination. The classical story that the houses here were built of rock-salt is difficult to understand. 'Uqair is now one of the chief ports of Hasa with a growing trade. It has an excellent deep-water harbour with a very difficult approach from Bahrein, where goods are trans-shipped from ocean steamers to sailing-boats.