Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Qalat al-Bahrain

Location

Bahrain

Country

Bahrain

Year of Research

2005

Culture

Qal’at al-Bahrain is a characteristic tell – an artificial mound made by many successive layers of human occupation.
The strata of the 300 × 600 m tell bear witness to continuous human presence from about 2300 BC to the 16th century AD.
About 25% of the site has been excavated, helpful structures of different types: residential, public, commercial, religious and military.
They bear out to the importance of the site, a trading port, over the centuries.
There is the impressive Portuguese fort on the top of the 12 m mound,which gave the whole site its name, qal’a (fort).
The site was the capital of the Dilmun, one of the most significant ancient civilizations of the region.
Qal’at al-Bahrain contains the richest remains inventoried of this civilization, which was hitherto only known from written Sumerian references.