23 May 2022
Bahrain Culture Authority Released the Second Edition of “Qal’at al Bahrain: Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun” book
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities has released the second edition of the book "Qal’at al Bahrain: Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun” ", written and edited by Dr. Pierre Lombard, BACA’s Archaeology Affairs Counselor.
The book, which is printed in English, boasts very important information related to the site of Qala’at Al- Bahrain Fort, which was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. In addition, the book features also all the texts displayed in the Qala’at al-Bahrain Site Museum. The first version of the book was published in 2016, as part of Bahrain 17th International Book Fair.
Worth to mention that Qala’al Baharin Fort Site Museum is a true reflection of Bahrain through the ages, with the remains of successive civilizations and cities neatly piled up on one another in what archaeologist refer to as “stratigraphy”. Designed by the Danish architecture firm Wohlert Architecter, the UNESCO area, which consists of 17 hectares, contains an artificial mound created by thousands of years of archaeological cultural layers, in Arabic known as “tell.” The book “Qal’at al Bahrain: Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun’ also sheds light on the so far, only a small part has been excavated. Display area consists of five exhibition halls organized around a Tell Wall. The 8-meter wall recreates the different archaeological layers recovered on site and constitutes a significant backdrop to the exhibit. The museum is visited - apart from tourists etc. - by school classes, being an important cultural-historical landmark in Bahrain. To the visitor, it will prove a welcome and informative exception to other attractions in the Gulf Region, and hopefully inspire similar initiatives.
In 2008, the site museum of the Qal’at al Bahrain Site Museum was opened thanks to the generous sponsorship by Arcapita Investment Bank, as part of “Invest in Culture” initiative. The 500 displayed artefacts relate the long settlement history of the site, unearthed by successive excavation teams of Danish, French and Bahraini archeologists since 1954. Its location along the waterfront and its proximity to the groves, endows it with a unique location overlooking the archaeological site, a view that can be enjoyed from the Museum’s cafe.
