Paris: A special seminar was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris to mark the 20th anniversary of the inscription of Qal'at al Bahrain - Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun - on the World Heritage List. The event was organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) on the sidelines of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the seminar was attended by Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of BACA; Essam Abdulaziz Al Jassim, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the French Republic; and Ernesto Ottone Ramrez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture. The event aimed to raise international awareness of Qal'at al Bahrain as an archaeological site and a testament to civilisations in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the heart of the ancient Dilmun civilisation.
The seminar highlighted major archaeological discoveries at the site, achieved through work by Bahraini excavation teams and international missions, particularly the French archaeological mission. Shaikh Khalifa noted that Qal'at al Bahrain was the first site in Bahrain to be inscribed on the World Heritage List, representing Bahrain's ancient civilisation and cultural legacy. He emphasised Bahrain's commitment to protecting this legacy and praised UNESCO's partnership in safeguarding the cultural heritage.
Dr. Pierre Lombard, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and former head of the French archaeological mission in Bahrain, presented on the historical phases of Qal'at al Bahrain and its role as a cultural and economic hub in the Gulf. He highlighted the significance of archaeological discoveries and the collaboration between BACA and the French mission in preserving the site's value.
Qal'at al Bahrain was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. It is the largest archaeological mound in Bahrain and contains a record of nearly 4,500 years of continuous human settlement. The site reflects the strength of the Dilmun civilisation and its successors, particularly their control over trade routes in the Gulf, enhanced by monumental architecture and archaeological finds.
Adjacent to the site is the Qal'at al Bahrain Site Museum, inaugurated in February 2008 with funding from Arcapita. The museum aims to preserve the site's ancient character and document the succession of civilisations through artefacts recovered during excavation.