Dilmun: The Mythologies

In Dilmun, the raven utters no cry,

The lion kills not. 

The wolf snatches not the lamb.

Unknown is the grain-devouring bear.

The sick-headed says not, "I am sick-headed."

The old woman says not, "I am an old woman."

The old man says not, "I am an old man."

Within the hundreds of clay tablets inscribed with the earliest form of writing known as cuneiform, we know of the ancient Sumerian legends and myths about Dilmun. The ancient people of Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq, believe that Dilmun was Paradise, and that their gods lived there. 

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the eponymous hero sought the secret of immortality, the Sumerian version (and probably the original from which the Biblical version was copied) of the Great Flood narrative tells us that Dilmun is where Utnapishtim (so called Sumerian Noah) was taken by the gods to live forever. 

The Biblical story of the Garden Of Eden is told by ancient cuneiform tablets as being located in Dilmun.

There had been several theories as to where Dilmun now is geographically located, but archaeological studies in Bahrain had now given us a scholarly consensus that Dilmun was located along the whole eastern part of Saudi Arabia, including present day parts of Kuwait, the whole of Bahrain, up to parts of Qatar and the UAE. The center of the Dilmun civilization is now pointed at the island of Bahrain, and several sites have been excavated and studied.

But beware, when you search Google for the lost paradise of Dilmun, you might be directed to the waterpark in Al Areen! Maybe you just might need a dip in the cool water of their pools. Just maybe.

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Bahrain National Museum: Dilmun Hall

In the Bahrain National Museum, there is the Dilmun Hall, where most of the artifacts excavated from archaeological sites in Bahrain are displayed. Ancient Dilmun sites like Qal'at al-Bahrain, Saar Settlement, the temples at Barbar and Diraz, and the thousands upon thousands of burial mounds scattered across the west side of the island, have provided a rich collection of items from the era of Dilmun that have survived time and thievery.

The history of ancient Bahrain, from the formative times of about 5000 BC, through the highs of Dilmun from 3000Bc to about 1600BC, to its eventual demise as other powerful civilizations took control in 800BC, is told by clay pots, copper tools, and the mysterious Dilmun Seals. Slowly, we will deal with each items and places that has shown for us, the exitence and location of Dilmun.

In the next post, we will start where everything started: the mythology.

Bahrain National Museum

There is no better place to start our journey into Dilmun than at the Bahrain National Museum.

Sitting on over 20,000 square meters of land, and inaugurated on December 15, 1988, the largest museum in Bahrain is a repository for 6000 years of the island's history. With six (6) permanent display halls and a very active temporary exhibition area, as well as a gift shop, cafe and a lecture hall, the Bahrain National Museum is considered one of the finest museums in the Gulf area.

The permanent exhibition halls include the Hall of Graves, a testimony to the estimated 80,000 burial mounds that is scattered across the length of the western side of the the main island. The Dilmun Hall showcases the development of Bahrain's ancient past from the Neolithic to the Late Dilmun era. There is a hall dedicated to the period of Tylos and Islam in the island, as well as a hall of a collection of important documents and manuscripts from the Arabic and Islamic cultures. Two halls are reserved for the traditional trades and crafts, as well as the cultures and traditions of the Bahraini people.

Visit the Bahrain National Museum any day of the week, from 8am to 8pm. Entrance fee is only 1 dinar per person, but comes with a postcard to send to loved ones back home.

Bahrain National Museum
Shaikh Hamad Causeway
Manama, Bahrain

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Welcome to Bahrain

Snuggled between mainland Saudi Arabia and the peninsula of Qatar, Bahrain is a small archipelago of about 33 islands nestled in the Persian Gulf. It was once the heart of the ancient civilization of Dilmun, which existed from the 3rd millenium BC to about 1800 BC.

The name Bahrain means "Two Seas". Experts have yet to determine which two seas were refered, but a strong contending theory is the saltwater that surrounds the island, and the wells of freshwater that springs from the rich underground water. The term used to refer to the whole stretch from present day Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, as well as the whole easter coasts of Saudi Arabia.

Known for producing excellent pearls well until the 19th century, Bahrain was where the first oil well in the Middle East was dug. Now, Bahrain is a major producer of aluminum in the world.

Join me as I try to turn back the hands of time and explore Dilmun, the home of Mesopotamian gods and godesses.

Welcome to Bahrain, the land of two seas, and of Dilmun.

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