History

The Dilmun civilization that founded the city at Qal’at al-Bahrain is first mentioned in Sumerian cuneiform texts from Ur (c. 2000 BCE), which describe it as a paradise island at the “mouth of the rivers” — a mythological land of immortality and plenty, and source of copper, carnelian beads, and exotic hardwoods traded across the ancient world. Modern archaeology has confirmed that Dilmun was indeed a real, prosperous trading civilization: at Qal’at al-Bahrain, the lowest excavated layers contain Kassite-period (c. 1400 BCE) pottery and imported Mesopotamian goods alongside locally made Dilmun wares, evidence of sophisticated trade networks connecting Bahrain to southern Iraq, coastal Oman (ancient Magan), and the Indus Valley civilization.

The city changed hands repeatedly through the millennia. Hellenistic Greeks (the Tylos period, c. 300 BCE–300 CE) left imported Greek amphorae and coins in the upper layers. The Sasanian Persians occupied the island from the 3rd to 7th century CE. After the Islamic conquest, Bahrain became an important caliphate province. The Portuguese arrived in 1521 CE, incorporating Bahrain into their Estado da India, and in 1559 CE built the fort at the summit of the ancient tell. The Portuguese were expelled by Persian Safavid forces in 1602 CE. Modern rediscovery began with the legendary Danish Archaeological Expedition of 1954, led by P.V. Glob and Geoffrey Bibby, who linked Bahrain definitively to the ancient Dilmun of Mesopotamian texts.