Paris: The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) and Greece’s Ministry of Culture jointly organised an international symposium titled “The Culture of Tylos: Hellenistic Archeology in Bahrain” at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris. The event was held in cooperation with the permanent delegations of Bahrain and Greece to UNESCO and the embassies of both countries in Paris.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the symposium was attended by Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of BACA; Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director General; Essam Abdulaziz Al Jassim, Bahrain’s Ambassador to Paris and Permanent Delegate of Bahrain to UNESCO; and Georgios Koumoutsakos, Greece’s Permanent Delegate of Greece to UNESCO, alongside ambassadors, experts, and media representatives.
BACA highlighted Bahrain’s historical ties with Greece, tracing them back over two millennia when the ships of Alexander the Great arrived on Bahrain’s shore
s. New explorers named it Tylos, a distorted form of the name of an earlier civilisation that had existed for thousands of years, known as Dilmun or Tilmun. The symposium shed light on Bahrain’s prominence as a cultural and commercial hub during the Hellenistic era.
Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed emphasised the alignment of the symposium with Bahrain’s vision of promoting its historical role as a cultural, tourist, and economic hub that connects civilisations. He noted that focusing on Bahrain’s historical ties with the Hellenistic world reinforces the importance of culture in fostering international collaboration. He expressed appreciation to UNESCO for hosting the event and emphasised the importance of international partnerships in preserving cultural heritage.
Audrey Azoulay highlighted Bahrain’s unique cultural landscape, noting its status as home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its role as a bridge between civilisations. She commended the symposium’s objectives of fostering cultural exchange and coo
peration. Georgios Koumoutsakos highlighted the global importance of cultural dialogue, thanking the organisers for the opportunity to connect the Arab world and Europe through this event.
The symposium, moderated by Rashad Faraj, Director of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, featured prominent international experts. Dr. Pierre Lombard, honorary researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and former director of the French Archaeological Mission in Bahrain, discussed Tylos as a prime example of Hellenistic influence in the Gulf. Dr. Sophia Zoumbaki, Research Director at the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquity of the National Research Foundation, explored the cultural and economic relations between Tylos and the broader Greek world. Dr. Pierre Louis Gatier, Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research, shed light on Greek inscriptions discovered in Bahrain. Dr. Julien Cuny, Curator at the Louvre Museum, presented the Tylos necropolis of Abu Saiba i
n Bahrain and its archaeological significance.
The international symposium on Tylos highlighted a distinctive chapter in Bahrain’s cultural and economic history as a meeting point between East and West during the Hellenistic period. For centuries, Bahrain thrived as a vibrant commercial and cultural hub, linking global trade networks from Syria and Egypt to India. Archaeological discoveries of burial mounds in northern Bahrain have revealed artefacts, jewellery, and pottery blending local and Hellenistic influences, showcasing a cultural fusion that endures in the island’s heritage.
The symposium also addressed the Greek inscriptions discovered in Bahrain, providing tangible evidence of the deep cultural interaction between the island and the Hellenistic world, alongside an examination of burial traditions that blended local characteristics with Hellenistic influences. Furthermore, it explored the economic relations between Tylos and the Greek world, where the pearling trade flourished, solidifying Bahrain’
s position as a major global trading hub.