Brice P.
Google
The inscription of Qal'at al-Bahrain in 2005 on the World Heritage List has consecrated the importance of one of the principal archaeological sites in the Arabian Peninsula. This major settlement site is not limited to its massive fortress facing the sea. It is a true "tell" (artificial hill) extending over 17.5 hectares and whose accumulation of about 8 meters of archaeological layers testifies to its long history beginning with the first human installations towards 2200 B.C. and ending with the site's progressive abandonment during the 17th cent. A.D. Favoured by a privileged access channel, it remained the principal harbour of the island for several millennia. It was also the capital of the land of Dilmun, the most important ancient civilisation of the Gulf, from the end of the 3rd to the middle of the 1st millennium B.C., before becoming one of the island's most important cities during the Hellenistic Period.
During the Islamic Period, this strategic site was the object of intense international rivalry, as is shown by the successive stages of the fortress which crowns it today.
In spite of several gaps, each of the tell's layers faithfully recorded the diverse phases of the island's history, which was either in turn independent or a vassal of its rich Mesopotamian or Persian neigh-bours. The archaeological archives of Qal'at al-Bahrain, the essential part of which remains still to be excavated and studied, makes up the true "memory" of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Today they are permanently preserved for the present and future gene rations.