{"id":5094,"date":"2016-09-29T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T04:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.weetas.com\/?p=5094"},"modified":"2017-10-26T16:53:16","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T14:53:16","slug":"bahrain-paradise-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/bahrain-paradise-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Bahrain: from Paradise land to a free market economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dilmun … the land of Paradise … Pearl of the Gulf … <\/span><\/p>\n

All names that the Kingdom of Bahrain once held in its long, prosperous history as a central commercial hub<\/strong> that remained vibrant through the centuries.\u00a0<\/span>Many believe that the history of this country is limited to the last four decades<\/strong> since it declared its independence. However,<\/span>\u00a0the fact is that Bahrain’s history dates back to the third century BC<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>In 1860, the name Dilmun appeared for the first time in several places around the world, after it had ceased to exist for thousands of years. <\/span>The whereabouts of this ancient civilization<\/strong> boggled the entire world for about a century. <\/span><\/p>\n

That was until a Danish archaeological team excavated Bahraini land in the mid-twentieth century and revealed that Bahrain was in fact, once, the ancient land of Dilmun<\/a><\/strong>. <\/span>The Danish team had discovered the remains of an old settlement from about<\/strong> four thousand years ago around<\/strong> the Bahrain Fort. <\/span>They also found that most of the archaeological\u00a0tells were cemeteries<\/strong> that belonged to a civilization that flourished around 2000 BC<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>They continued to dig in surrounding areas and thus began a journey to find remains in the Arabian Gulf region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ancient Cities of Bahrain<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

The Danish mission revealed six historical cities built on top of each other<\/strong> in the Bahrain Fort area. <\/span>Experts were able to identify three major cities of Dilmun historically confined to the period between 2800 and 325 BC. <\/span>They discovered a fourth city that combines the civilizations of East and West, dating back to the period between 325 BC and 622 AD. <\/span>As well as a fifth city dating back to the Islamic period between 622 and 1400 AD.\u00a0<\/span>A wide range of artifacts and messages<\/strong> were found in Bahrain and the surrounding areas.\u00a0<\/span>All of which indicate that this country was a prominent commercial center. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are many implications of business transactions with Mesopotamia<\/strong>, as they used to come for all kinds of goods that were common in this region. <\/span>Those include basic goods such as copper, timber, and other luxury items like gems<\/strong>. <\/span>Ancient legends describe Bahrain as the land of paradise that God endowed with plenty of fresh water.\u00a0<\/span>Each of these cities has provided us with enough information to show Bahrain’s long and rich history<\/strong>. Though the region had a culture that differs from modern day Bahrain, the remains provided further proof of the land’s glory.<\/p>\n

The First City: 2800-1800 BC<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

This city is home to two time periods<\/strong>, the first from 2800 to 2300 BC<\/strong>, and the second, known as Early Dilmun, dates back to 2300 to 1800 BC<\/strong>. <\/span>About 150 thousand cemeteries<\/strong> were discovered, built on the island over a period of 500 years. <\/span>Remains showed strong links<\/strong> between Dilmun and Qatif and Dhahran in modern-day Saudi Arabia, Failaka in Kuwait, and Umm Al Nar in the United Arab Emirates.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Second City: 1800-750 BC<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

Existing in the period from 1800 to 750 BC<\/strong>, this city belonged to Dilmun\u2019s Middle period\u00a0<\/strong>when it flourished the most. <\/span>Historians confirm that the population of Bahrain Fort at the time reached seven thousand people<\/strong>. <\/span>The second city played an active role in trade and foreign relations<\/strong> with other ancient civilizations of this era. <\/span>Large structures<\/strong> from the city still remain to this very day, standing as a testimony to the civilization’s strong existence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Third City: 750-325 BC<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

Built in the Late Dilmun period<\/strong>, the third city existed from 750 to 325 BC. Though the city had the shortest time period<\/strong> out of all five, remains of some structures were found.\u00a0<\/span>The most important of which is a palace<\/strong>. Pottery and coffins<\/strong> were also found in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fourth City: 325 BC – 622 AD<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

This city was built in the Tylos period, which is a blend of eastern, western, and local civilizations<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>Stone-built rooms<\/strong> in addition to a set of silver coins<\/strong> dating back to the reign of Alexander the Great<\/strong> were uncovered in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fifth City: 622-1400 AD<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\"Bahrain\"<\/p>\n

This city dates back to the Islamic period<\/strong>, stone buildings covered in plaster<\/strong> have been uncovered here. <\/span>These buildings represent small houses<\/strong>, each made up of two rooms, a bathroom, a courtyard, and a date pressing room.\u00a0<\/span>Experts also found a central market<\/strong> featuring a range of shops across each other, stretching from east to west.<\/span><\/p>\n

Modern Bahrain<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

Now, the Kingdom of Bahrain has taken a place amongst the world’s best economies<\/strong>. Growing fast and strong, Bahrain is an example of a successful free market<\/strong>. Moreover, the Kingdom boasts vibrant tourism destinations and a booming real estate market<\/strong>.\u00a0While the country is progressing towards an even brighter future, Bahrain is proud of its rich heritage. Across the Kingdom, the ancient remains continue to attract tourists<\/strong> from neighboring GCC states and across the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dilmun … the land of Paradise … Pearl of the Gulf … All names that the Kingdom of Bahrain once held in its long, prosperous history as a central commercial hub that remained vibrant through the centuries.\u00a0Many believe that the history of this country is limited to the last four decades since it declared its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[608],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5094"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5094"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12234,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5094\/revisions\/12234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weetas.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}