Dilmun

Early Dilmun

The end of the 3rd millennium was characterized by flourishing settlements and maritime trade. The use of Dilmun seals became more commonplace and widely used in the region from the Indus Valley to Mesopotamia and Iran. During this period, many temples were discovered in Bahrain, in addition to the thousands burial mounds that dominate the landscape today.

Middle Dlimun

This period, which links to the Middle Bronze Age, is mostly known in Bahrain for the phase between 1500 BC to 1350 BC, when the island was placed under the control of the Babylonian power. The Kassite dynasty, which already reigned over bordering Babylonia for almost one century, expanded its territory and settled in Dilmun..

Late Dilmun

The Late Dilmun period matches with the development of the Iron Age in Bahrain, a particularly active and wealthy phase all over the Arabian Gulf. Strong links also exist at this period with the Iron Age culture of the Oman Peninsula, as seen by the presence in the Bahrain graves of imported pottery, stone vessels and seals from this area.

Dilmun was an important trading center from the late fourth millennium to 1800 BC. The Dilmun civilization was the centre of commercial activities linking traditional agriculture of the land with maritime trade between diverse regions. Dilmun is regarded as one of the oldest ancient civilizations in the Middle East. The Sumerians described Dilmun as a paradise garden. The Sumerian tale of the garden paradise of Dilmun may have been an inspiration for the Garden of Eden story.