What Exactly Are Bahrain's Dilmun Burial Mounds?
Words by Zeina Alkhaja
Historic Image of Excavations in A’Ali East Burial Mound Field via Dilmun Mounds UNESCO nomination text
Bahrain is a relatively small island with a few major highways that cut through it. Most people have no choice but to use these pathways moving to and from home. The landscapes from the car are relatively mundane to most Bahrainis: you pass by housing developments, shops and malls, a lot of lamp posts with ever-changing advertisements and some “empty hilly” fields. When I was younger, I thought the fields were remnants of scrap construction material from the neighborhoods of A’ali or Hamad Town. I later learned that these were the Dilmun Burial Mounds.
Via Flying Lab
Via Moesgaard Museum
The Dilmun Burial Mounds
Brief History of the Dilmun Burial Mounds
In 2019, the Dilmun Burial Mounds were inscribed as a World Heritage site: one which accounts for 11,774 burial mounds spread over 21 archaeological sites constructed over a time span of 550 years (between 2250 and 1700 BCE). The number of mounds mirrored the growth and development on the island as it became an integral part to trade routes moving through the Arabian/Persian Gulf. This brought in precious stones like lapis lazuli from Afghanistan to precious metals like copper from the Magans (Modern Day Oman). The movement of these materials are anthologized by remains and accounts found in both the mounds and Qal’at al-Bahrain. The prosperity of Dilmun can be observed through the complex social structures and different mound typologies established, reflecting these social hierarchies – such as the Royal and Chieftan Burial Mounds.
Archaeologists who studied the site argued that this may be one of the greatest concentrations of burial mounds in the world. It was previously speculated that people from other places would travel to Dilmun to be buried, but the short life span and gradually growing population size would account for the number of burial mounds found in Bahrain.
Dilmun Burial Mounds: Form & Structure
The mounds have always remained a burial site; however, their external form transformed over time from tower-like structures to the mounds we know today. This is due to natural erosion: the impact of rain and wind.
“The Burial Mounds of Bahrain” by Flemming Hójlund (A is the main chamber, C is the constructed ring wall while F shows its collapse).
The construction typically consisted of the main burial chamber — a stone tower — and the ring wall encircling it. The ring walls have collapsed over time allowing the sandy filling material to form the mounds we recognize today. Gradually, the mounds began showing more complex designs and chambers using the same techniques noted above. The main materials used in the formation of the mounds were limestone, gravel sand, plaster, and wood. The wood elements have degraded over time leaving small reminders through indentations in the limestone. Excavation efforts have peeled away at the infill revealing the shapes and main chambers of the burials.
via Flying Lab
Unfortunately, some mounds were demolished in the 60s to accommodate population growth and housing developments. Yet we are still able to see glimpses of what these sites may have felt like in the past through archival photos and maps. The A'ali East Mound field is the largest in size with about 4,000 mounds. In concept the field shows the possibilities of what the landscape would have looked like if allowed to remain untouched. These sites, along with other uninscribed burial mound sites, have been registered as National Monuments under the protection of National Heritage Law.
via Moesgaard Museum / Zeina Alkhaja
via Moesgaard Museum / Zeina Alkhaja
Archaeological Excavations of the Dilmun Burial Mounds
There have always been formal interactions with the burial mounds through archaeological expeditions and surveys. The mounds have a very defined presence in the urban fabric of the island of Bahrain – this lends itself to everyday activities. Major highways have cut through the fields making for scenery during traffic jams. Housing and infrastructural developments have blurred the lines of these boundaries: you can often find people jogging through the fields, makeshift majlis or chicken coops, or in my case be sharing a boundary wall with the burial mounds.
The Royal Mounds in A’ali act as an interesting case study as they are so deeply interwoven into the village grid. The community members have become custodians to the mounds. Practices such as pottery grasp on to an intangible element of the Dilmun Period where the vessels played an important role in both life and death. The pottery workshops in A’ali act as a testimony to this deep relationship between the people and history of the place.
When walking through the Royal Mound site, the direct juxtaposition between old and new becomes apparent. Royal Mound 8 is parallel to the A’ali Cemetery, solely separated by a few palm trees and a wire fence. This direct but indirect relationship forces us to recognize the importance of these burial grounds throughout time. Similar patterns are seen in other mounds in the area. Royal Mound 1 is faced by the greenery of a small farm and a single-storey building. The contrasts between the archeological site, concrete building and sounds of livestock bring life into the space again. All of these mounds are surrounded by houses, roadways or deployable structures such as shaded areas forcing a spatial cohesion between two contrasting elements.
Via Zeina Alkhaja
Via Curtis Larsen
The Dilmun Burial Mounds have been documented by archeologists and explorers as early as 1880. Since then, there have been multiple efforts by the local and foreign missions to document and better understand the site, which has included mapping the burial mounds using systems like GIS, and further excavations to explore the architectural methods used to form the burial mounds.
The landscape of Bahrain has dramatically changed since the time of Dilmun through development, land reclamation and focus towards the future. The integration of the burial mounds into the general urban plan of Bahrain has ensured its presence for future generations, weaving together the old with the new.
Further Reading: Types of Burial Mound
Early Type Mounds
These date back to 2250 to 2050 BCE (200-year period) and are the simplest of the burial mounds. They are circular structures with a diameter of 5 to 6m (almost the size of two couches) with a maximum height of 1.5m. These are often singular burial sites with one central chamber. This is defined by the presence of an alcove and capped with a flat roof made of stone. Each mound had an outer stone ring to prevent overcrowding and encroachment. These Early Burial mound fields have no defined spatial organization, and followed the topography of wadi or other existing elements.
Late Type Mounds
Dating back to 2050 to 1700 BCE (350-year period), these mounds begin to show the social complexities of life during the Dilmun Period, and all the economic growth. Mounds averaged a diameter of 6 to 11m (a shipping container or half a tennis court), with an average height of 2 to 3m. The construction consisted of drystone walls with a capstone slab. These mounds are larger and closer together than the Early Mound types. Many mounds contained subsidiary burials – believed to be used for relatives – and these dense cemeteries are speculated to have been next to settlements.
The Chieftain & Royal Mounds
These mounds were also constructed during the Late Dilmun Period (2050-1700 BCE). The Royal Mounds have a diameter up to 50m, and height of up to 12m, and are often categorized into two further classifications: Simple and Palatial. The simple mound has a horizontal dromos structure allowing for direct access to the burial chamber. The palatial mound has a vertical shaft, defined by multiple alcoves, and previously covered with plaster and bitumen coated palm mats which kept the rain away. Palatial mounds were also able to host public ritual due to its spatial design. The Chieftan mounds were slightly smaller with an average diameter of 13 to 26m, and an L or T shaped chamber. These mounds had subsidiary burials for relatives – and for creating radial like patterns from the main chamber. The majority of these mounds showed signs of looting due to the grandeur of the structures and assumption of high-value items on the inside.
Madinat Hamad Burial Mound Fields
Comprising three individual fields, these are often described as one of the more picturesque spaces to experience the burial mounds, due to the sheer size of the plots and typology of the mounds.
The Madinat Hamad 1 Burial Mound Field is the northernmost of the three Madinat Hamad burial mound fields, and comprises approximately 1,000 Late type mounds. Although it is located very close to the West A’ali Field, the two had never been part of the same burial mound field. The wadi separating them is now a highway marked with housing developments and acts as a stark reminder of these two combating times. The mounds on this site belong to the Late Dilmun period.
The Madinat Hamad 2 Burial Mound Field is the second largest mound field in Bahrain. It is located in the northern centre of Madinat Hamad and has the highest density of burial mounds with approximately 4,868 mounds on the site. Many of the mounds are gathered along the banks of its several wadis creating a very scenic panorama. These wadis define many streams and larger water paths, and become lush with vegetation after rain fall: a beautiful contrast between the dry sand and limestone. The mounds here comprise of both Early and Late types. This is the only cemetery displaying special geological configurations of ground (building directly on bedrock).
The Madinat Hamad 3 Burial Mound Field is the southernmost of the cemeteries located in Madinat Hamad, and is also referred to as the Dar Kulayb Burial Mound site. It has a high concentration of Late type burial mounds: a total number of 1,300 burial mounds remain as the last witnesses of the ancient settlement assumed to have existed nearby. The mounds on this site have a regular and homogenous typology with an average diameter of 8m – this creates a wave like view.
If you’re able to visit, make sure to walk along the wadis and maybe up one of the burial mounds to see the vastness of the site. Lawzi Lake is also in the area and is one of the only bodies of water inside the island and is home to many migratory birds.
Janabiyah Burial Mounds are some of the most northern protected fields and used to be a part of a larger field. The site currently consists of 13 Late type, and 5 Chieftain Mounds. The small site also displays mounds at various stages of excavation with one total, three partial, and one untouched. Visitors will be able to experience different degrees of detail given the unveiling of layers of time and erosion. This is a great sight to see the architecture of the burial mounds with clear examples of the ring walls and subsidiary burials radiating from the central mound: something that was not present in Early Dilmun Burials, and highlights the importance of familial and social relationships.
A’Ali Burial Mound Field
The A´ali East Mound Field covers a large area that is located south of the historic core of A’ali. It is the largest of all the fields both in dimension and number of burial mounds, and hosts around 4,000 tumuli of various sizes. The mounds are mainly of Late type, and a few natural wadis cross the burial mound field. These geographical features often defined the clustering of the mounds on site, allowing for the growth of vegetation and runoff.
The A´ali West and the A´ali East Burial Mound Fields once formed a physical entity which was partially split by a wadi. Today it is divided by the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway. Besides the highway, the A´ali West Burial Mound Field is bordered to the west by Buri. The necropolis comprises 730 burial mounds and is one of the last examples to present the distribution of mounds on the edge of a mound field. The size of the burial mounds is above average and they are constructed farther away from each other. The necropolis also comprises six special-type burial mounds with an outer-ring wall.
A’ali Royal Burial Mounds comprise of 17 mounds that are well-integrated into the urban fabric of A’ali. They are defined by two distinct types, the simple and palatial. Of the 17 mounds, three are built in the palatial style. It is defined by a vertical shaft, an ability to host public rituals due to its size, plastered rock, and bitumen coated palm mats. The simple mound has a horizontal structure allowing for direct access to the burial chamber. With these you are able to walk directly into the main chamber and experience the height of the surrounding walls.
Being able to walk through them allows you to have a sense of scale and the importance of these locations. Archaeologists were able to confirm the narrative of the Royal Burial Mounds typology after finding stone fragments mentioning the names of two kings to the A’ali Dynasty. Initially, these archaeologists were slightly hesitant to excavate the sites as people living around them had stories of Jinn living inside. Leaving gifts by the mounds was common practice but eventually died out.
Each of these mounds have their own characteristics. Some of them remain unexcavated and boarded by barbed wire, while other sites invite you in through gates. One of the mounds is adjacent to a current cemetery in the community. This juxtaposition further iterates the integration of the burial mounds into the urban fabric: they live together in tandem. One of the Palatial Mounds, for example, is defined by six chambers that span approximately 12-meters high. The central shaft ends with a large single rock that is cut at the top corner. It is believed that it was used in the past as an access point for looters. The surrounding rock faces are curved and show signs of a suggested lock and door, and deduced that it must have been locked from the inside either by someone who remained with the dead or closed by mechanism. The remains of the door were not found due to the aging of wood.
Members of the local community function as custodians of the mounds, as it is important to allow people to feel a sense of ownership and belonging with these sites. The embedded nature of the mounds created an interesting typology for the people. You can often find chairs, chicken coops, little gardens, laundry lines and waterlines.
The A’ali Pottery Shop is a great place to see how this practice is still alive today. The shop is surrounded by burial mounds, and you are able to take classes or buy a piece of pottery. Walking from site to site, you can visualize the prevalence of pottery in the community and the lushness of the landscape. Many of the farms are packed with greenery and farm animals.
More Resources About the Dilmun Burial Mounds
If you’re interested in learning more about the Dilmun Burial Mounds and their history, here are some resources that you can look at:
Zeina Alkhaja is an architect working in the field of heritage in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She received a Master’s in Architecture from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Through her studies, Zeina's main interest was exploring heritage and architectural history in the Arab Region. Zeina has previously worked at Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) in the Archives Department on management of collections and the digitalisation of historical documents including photos, archaeological reports and maps. She currently works at the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) as part of the technical team.
