About This Place
Bahrain Fort (Qal'at al-Bahrain) is an archaeological mound covering around 17.5 hectares, on the northern coast of Bahrain island, holding traces of more than 4,000 years of continuous settlement. It was the capital of the ancient Dilmun civilization and is one of the main archaeological sites in the Arabian Gulf. Dilmun appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh as "the land of immortality."
Excavations began in 1954 under a Danish team and continued for decades. They uncovered seven layers stacked on top of each other, from around 2300 BCE to the 16th century CE, with Kassite, Greek, Portuguese and Persian remains: houses, shops, religious buildings and military structures from the centuries when the site was a trading port. The fort visible today above the mound was built during the Portuguese period.
UNESCO added Bahrain Fort to its World Heritage List in 2005, citing what it shows about cultural exchange and urban development over thousands of years.
The site museum opened in 2008. Its 5 halls run in chronological order through the archaeological eras and hold more than 500 artifacts dug up at the site.
Practical Information
- Location: Northern coast of Bahrain island, about 6 km from Manama
- Hours: Fort daily 8am–6pm, Museum 8am–6pm (closed Mondays)
Getting There
The easiest way to get an exact location is to open it directly on Google Maps: