Pieces of pottery dating back to the 16th century have been unearthed at Bahrain Fort by a team of visiting volunteers as part of a heritage programme.
Samples of the discoveries pertaining to the Islamic era will be sent for further analysis to ascertain their date and age.
The excavations were carried out by 12 volunteers from France, Mexico, Greece, Romania, England, Italy and England who were part of the Discover Bahrain Heritage programme.
They were assisted by seven local volunteers in the campaign co-ordinated by the Unesco World Heritage Centre in co-operation with the Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Services.
The volunteers, whose visit was part of the sixth edition of the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) campaign, worked under the guidance of Bahrain’s French Archaeological Mission head and Bahrain Antiquities and Culture Authority archaeological advisor Dr Pierre Lombard.
“Such initiatives will put the spotlight on Bahrain from a tourism point of view,” he told the GDN. “For the volunteers Qalat Al Bahrain (Bahrain Fort) was more than a fort; they were excited about the pottery they uncovered all of which belonged to the 16th century.
Preservation
“From an excavator’s point of view these are great findings that speak of the country’s rich heritage.”
However, the volunteers – most of whom are studying history, foreign cultures and archaeology – said climate change, armed conflicts, lack of awareness or interest and a shortage of funds were hindering heritage preservation efforts.
“One of the biggest problems on the heritage front is the issue of ownership but plans like this allow the volunteers to not just work but also own these sites and to raise awareness about them,” Hareem Mirza, a PhD student at the Royal Holloway, University of London told the GDN.
“Climate change and conflicts coupled with a lack of awareness are some of the biggest issues facing world heritage today.
“Many sites do not get their due share of research and funds and thus may suffer from neglect.”
The WHV initiative is aimed at raising awareness among young people, volunteers, local communities and authorities of the need to protect and promote heritage.
It also seeks to involve young people in preservation efforts through on-site projects and further empower young people by allowing them to learn skills in basic preservation and conservation techniques and raise their capacity as future decision-makers and global active citizens.
“World heritage is facing a sea of challenges today, from climate change to armed conflicts, and most importantly, a severe lack of interest and general awareness,” added French archaeology student Roxane Trioux.
The first three days of the 2019 campaign, which ended on Monday, were focused on the pearling path and houses in Muharraq while the remaining eight days were spent at the Bahrain Fort – both listed on the Unesco World Heritage Site list.
“Climate change and its destructive impact on the monuments and sites are so evident and difficult to manage,” said architect engineer at the National Technical University Athens Dr Eleni Kanetaki.
“Our contemporary ‘modern’ cultural approach often tends to turn its back on the local faces of cultural heritage,’ he added.
“One of my fears, in regards to these insults, is the loss of historic memory.
“Preserving memory, or at least respecting the former expressions of human artistic and technological activities, does create an important background.
“One of the commonest dangers that today’s urban settlements are suffering from is the artificial memory that they tend to adopt,” said the specialist in restoration of monuments.
Meanwhile, the GDN reported last Friday that archaeologists uncovered a rare structure dating back to the seventh century at the Samaheej cemetery.
Structure
The structure consisting of small chambers, corridors and Muslim graves was revealed beneath ruins of what was believed to be a mosque, by Baca along with British Expedition in Bahrain head Professor Timothy Insoll.
Excavators say the structure is from the Christian era and represents the first archaeological confirmation of the presence of a Christian community in Bahrain before the spread of Islam.
raji@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))