Bahrain’s role as an ancient hub of civilisation and trade will take centre stage at a university seminar in Denmark on Wednesday, with the Danish archaeology team on the hunt for new recruits for its annual excavation trip to the kingdom.
Organised by Moesgaard Museum in partnership with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca). the day-long programme will be titled ‘Trade Routes and Cities of Dilmun – Exploring how Bronze Age Bahrain shaped the ancient world’ and will take place on September 3.
“On Wednesday we will dedicate the day to celebrate the longstanding cultural and research collaboration between Bahrain and Moesgaard,” a spokesperson from the museum explained, in a statement.
“We invite students of archaeology and the general public to come and listen to presentations on the fascinating archaeology of Bahrain’s ancient Bronze Age culture of Dilmun.
“If you dream of joining the Moesgaard-Aarhus University team on our annual excavations in Bahrain, this is a must-come event!”
The Moesgaard Museum is a Danish regional historical centre dedicated to archaeology and ethnography.
It has supported archaeological expeditions in Bahrain and Kuwait, which excavated the ancient Dilmun capital at Qala’at Al Bahrain and the royal mounds of A’ali, led by archaeologists like Peter Vilhelm Glob and Steffen Laursen.
The seminar will bring together leading scholars, dignitaries and students to explore the legacy of Dilmun, the Bronze Age civilisation that once flourished in Bahrain and served as a key crossroads of trade.
The programme will open with welcome remarks from Moesgaard director Professor Mads K Holst, followed by an address from Baca president Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Denmark’s ambassador to Bahrain Liselotte Plesner will also deliver a speech highlighting cultural collaboration between the two countries.
The first lecture of the day will be titled ‘The City of Dilmun, 2020-2025: BACA-Moesgaard Investigations at Qal’at Al Bahrain’ and will be delivered by Dr Laursen, who is also the curator of Arabian archaeology at Moesgaard.
Baca general director for archaeology and honourary fellow at Moesgaard Dr Salman Al Mahari will deliver a talk titled ‘Bahrain and the Legacy of Dilmun: Tracing an Ancient Civilisation Through Its Archaeological Sites’.
Moesgaard field director Dr Ole Herslund will deliver the third lecture ‘Failaka – The Trade Colony of the Kings of Dilmun’, focusing on the historic importance of a Kuwaiti island located 20km off the coast of Kuwait City.
In the afternoon, participants will get a sneak peek at Looking for Dilmun, an upcoming documentary funded by the Carlsberg Foundation.
Directed by Teddy Bruslund, the film follows Moesgaard and Aarhus University’s archaeological work across Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman and Denmark.
The seminar will close with reflections on the enduring significance of Dilmun and its place in the cultural heritage of Bahrain and the wider Arabian Gulf.
It will take place in the Moesgaard Exhibition Building’s main auditorium.
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