Bahrain was also the site of worship of an ox deity called Awal () Worshipers built a large statue to Awal in Muharraq, although it has now been lost. For many centuries after ''Tylos'', Bahrain was known as ''Awal''. By the 5th century, Bahrain became a centre for Nestorian Christianity, with the village Samahij as the seat of bishops. In 410, according to the Oriental Syriac Church synodal records, a bishop named Batai was excommunicated from the church in Bahrain. As a sect, the Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire, but Bahrain was outside the Empire's control, offering some safety. The names of several Muharraq villages today reflect Bahrain's Christian legacy, with Al Dair meaning "the monastery".