13 February 2023
To Shed Light on the Japanese-Bahraini Archaeological Cooperation, Many Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were Signed to Broaden the Scope of Japanese Archaeological Team Work during a Meeting Hosted by Bahrain National Museum
On 12, February 2023, the Bahrain National Museum hosted a meeting on archaeological cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Japan. During this fruitful meeting, many new memorandum of understanding between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Japanese institutions were signed. Indeed, the MoUs aim t to expand and broaden the scope of Japanese excavation mission in the Kingdom and conduct in-depth studies of Bahraini artifacts. The meeting was held in the presence of His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and His Excellency the Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain. Mr. Masayuki MIYAMOTO, in addition to the presence of a number of senior members of the Japanese archaeological mission and those interested in cultural affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Speaking for the occasion, H.E Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa stressed the importance of cultural cooperation between Bahrain and Japan, especially in the field of antiquities, thanking the Ambassador for his continuous support for the cultural movement in the Kingdom. H.E expressed his happiness at the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in the field of antiquities, which began more than 30 years ago, and the signing of new memorandums of understanding, indicating that this would enhance work between Bahraini and Japanese institutions in the scientific field and the preservation of discoveries in archaeological sites.
H.E Mr. Masayuki MIYAMOTO, for his part, thanked the Bahrain Culture Authority for its efforts to build bridges of communication between Japan and Bahrain, pointing out that this meeting reflects the great cooperation between the two countries in the field of archaeological excavations. In addition, the Japanese ambassador said that Japanese archaeological experts have worked for years to uncover the features of the Dilmun civilization, which is centered in Bahrain and is one of the most important civilizations in the region, expressing his happiness at the participation of the Japanese archaeological mission in the archaeological excavations in Bahrain.
Indeed, the first agreement signed between the authority and the Tokyo National Institute for the Study of Cultural Property in order to conduct archaeological studies and excavations in the field of the Wadi al-Sail burial mounds in Riffa for a period of five years. The second MoU agreement was signed with the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara; Nara Prefecture will facilitate archaeological studies and excavations at the Tylos burial mounds site in interview. As for the third agreement, it was signed with the University of Kanazawa in order to document archaeological sites in Bahrain and conduct studies on a number of artifacts at the Bahrain National Museum.
Following the official signature of these MoUs, the Japanese excavation team gave a lecture on the projects of the Japanese archaeological excavation mission in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Ms. Ayanao Yamada spoke about the history of the Japanese team's archaeological excavations in Bahrain. While Mashashi Abe dealt with the project of archaeological excavations in Wadi Al-Sail. As for Akinori Uesugi he spoke about the project of mapping Dilmun and documenting and analyzing the landscape of the early Dilmun burial mounds. Finally, Mr. Kiyohide Saito shed light on the project to study the burial mounds of Tylos in the Magaba region.
