A CORNER at Bahrain’s National Museum dedicated to historical rarities features ceramics unearthed in Dilmun burial mounds which, according to experts, were originally from India.
Three earthen vases, which archaeologists trace the origin to the West Indian state of Gujarat, are being showcased as the ‘Object of the Month’ at the gallery lobby, as India and Bahrain celebrate 50 years of bilateral relations.
Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) director general of culture and arts Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa highlighted the importance of the painted vases during a tour of the museum, alongside the announcement of the week-long golden jubilee celebrations which is underway.
The GDN reported that the golden jubilee celebrations kicked off last Tuesday at Bab Al Bahrain and continue with performances, talks and workshops lined up every day.
“Every month curators at the Bahrain National Museum highlight something which has not been showcased ever before,” said Shaikha Hala. “They feature something unique at this spot in the lounge, which has been titled as Object of the Month.
“We encourage all enthusiasts arriving at the museum to stop by and take a look at the displayed item in this corner, which has a history to share.
“The items on display will be rich in terms of its historic value and this month we are proud to showcase a selection that is linked to our 50 years of bilateral ties with India.”
The vases, unearthed at the Madinat Hamad Cemetery during a local excavation, belonged to the early Dilmun period, according to a historian’s note by the display.
“While archaeologists working in Bahrain can easily identify artefacts imported from Mesopotamia, Iran or Oman during excavations, it is more difficult to recognise items from the Indian subcontinent,” it reads. “However, northwestern India and the Bahrain archipelago regions have enjoyed privileged trade relations since the beginning of the second millennium BC.
“It appears today that some of the ceramics unearthed from the Dilmun burial mounds originate from the region of Gujarat, where the late Sorrat Harappan culture is contemporary with Dilmun (1800 to 1900 BCE).
“Some 2,000 years later the population of Tylos, between the second century BCE and the second century CE perpetuated this commercial exchanges, particularly with the importation of carnelian or agate pearls, whose shape or technology testify to a likely Gujarati origin.”
The Object of the Month is an awareness programme on the heritage and antiquities of Bahrain launched by the museum in July. It aims at highlighting the museum’s collections that have not been displayed in the permanent showcasing at halls. Visitors can get all the information about the piece by scanning the QR Code on the display interface. The inaugural month featured a wooden tomb found during the Shakoura excavations which experts indicate, was one of the wealthiest coffins of the Tylos era. The structure with a rectangular trough and a triangular cover was unearthed by a Bahraini team in 1996-1997. The tomb, which according to archaeologists, was “undoubtedly imported from the Indo-Iranian borderland” was made of Pakistani rosewood which is highly valued for its dark brown colour and hardiness.
In August, a gravestone from the Islamic period discovered from Barbar village cemetery was featured. It was donated to the museum by Hussein Abdullah Hassan from Barbar wo had preserved it in his private house for five years. The limestone had Arabic engravings, mostly Quran verses carved by Abdulnabi bin Ahmed.
The museum last month featured the ‘funerary bust’, a unique burial sculpture illustrating the Tylos gravestone tradition. This according to historians, was developed in Bahrain during the second and third centuries under the influence of Parthian artistic tradition.
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