Ancient site · Tomb
Dilmun Burial Mounds
Thousands of burial mounds across the north of Bahrain, once one of the largest ancient cemeteries in the world; an estimated 350,000 graves may have existed. Most were built during the time of Dilmun, the Gulf trading civilisation that linked Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley; Bahrain's freshwater springs made it a natural stop for ships.
The surviving mound fields became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
- Dates
- c. 2200–1750 BCE (main period)
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 26.15° N, 50.51° E
How we know
The mounds are dated by excavation; Mesopotamian texts describe Dilmun as a trading land in the Gulf.
Nearby sites
- Persepolis c. 518–330 BCE
- Chogha Zanbil c. 1250–645 BCE
- Eridu c. 5400–600 BCE
- Ur (ziggurat and Royal Cemetery) c. 3800–500 BCE; Royal Cemetery c. 2600 BCE; ziggurat 21st century BCE
- Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn c. 3000–2000 BCE
- Susa c. 4200 BCE – 1218 CE
Related
- Dilmun archaeological culture
- The world in 3000 BCE: The First Kings chapter