17 February 2015
Qal’at Al Bahrain Fort Site Museum 7th Anniversary Celebrations
Qal’at Al Bahrain Fort Site Museum celebrates its 7th anniversary on 18 February 2015 with a special outdoor concert by Bahraini musician Faisal Al Kooheji. The site 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. Due to its unique attributes Qal’at al-Bahrain has been designated in 2006 by the UNESCO as a world heritage site. In 2008, the site museum of the Qal’at al Bahrain was opened, sponsored by Arcapita Investment Bank and designed by the Danish architecture firm Wohlert Architecter.
In 2014, the site museum received 13488 visitors, which reflects the increasing cultural awareness about the importance of history and civilization of ancient Bahrain.
The museum is visited by, apart from tourists, school classes as it is an important cultural-historical landmark in Bahrain. The museum hosted a series of events and activities, ranging from lectures to music concerts or cinema shows, in addition to Enkiro Children’s Club events throughout the years, which attracted more visitors and encouraged youngsters to discover its wonders. Darseen coffee shop on the sea front adds relaxation and beauty to this site.
Qal’at al-Bahrain: an ancient harbor and capital of Dilmun is Bahrain’s most important and distinguished archaeological site, with remains dating from 2,500 B.C. until the period of Portuguese occupation in the 16th century. Due to its unique attributes Qal’at al-Bahrain has been designated in 2006 by the UNESCO as a world heritage site. 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 a ‘tell’. So far, only a small part has been excavated. Display area consists of 5 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 500 displayed artefacts relate the long settlement history of the site. Its location along the waterfront and its proximity to the groves, endows it with a unique location overlooking the archaeological site, a view which can be enjoyed from the museum’s cafe.
Further, the museum brings attention to a major Middle Eastern archaeological site, which in itself has a fascinating history. It was at this site that remains were found that localized Bahrain as the legendary land of Dolman known from Mesopotamian poetry. The myth about Dilmun is believed to have formed the basis for the Bible’s later accounts of the Garden of Eden. For the last 4.500 years, Bahrain has played a key role in trade in the Gulf Region. The Qal'at al-Bahrain Site Museum is the first in a series of visitor's centres/museums that are planned for construction at a number of archaeological sites in Bahrain. One of many attempts in the region to direct attention to cultural heritage, transforming some part of the recent riches to long lasting cultural wealth, it will provide a welcome and informative addition to other attractions in the Gulf Region, and hopefully inspire similar initiatives.
