Dilmun Burial Mounds

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Dilmun Burial Mounds: A Unique Necropolis Spanning Over Two Millennia

The Dilmun Burial Mounds, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, offer a fascinating glimpse into the ancient civilization that thrived on the island of Bahrain between 2200 and 1750 BCE. This extensive necropolis spans across 21 archaeological sites located primarily in the western part of the island.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The Dilmun Burial Mounds, built between 2200 and 1750 BCE, span over 21 archaeological sites in the western part of the island. Six of these sites are burial mound fields consisting of a few dozen to several thousand tumuli. In all there are about 11,774 burial mounds, originally in the form of cylindrical low towers. The other 15 sites include 17 royal mounds, constructed as two-storey sepulchral towers. The burial mounds are evidence of the Early Dilmun civilization, around the 2nd millennium BCE, during which Bahrain became a trade hub whose prosperity enabled the inhabitants to develop an elaborate burial tradition applicable to the entire population. These tombs illustrate globally unique characteristics, not only in terms of their number, density and scale, but also in terms of details such as burial chambers equipped with alcoves.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (iii): The Dilmun Burial Mounds represent unique sepulchral testimony to the Early Dilmun civilization over a period of 450 years. As remains of settlements are scarce and buried under thick layers of soil, the Dilmun Burial Mounds are the most extensive and most apparent evidence of the Early Dilmun culture. At the time, the newly gained prosperity allowed the island’s ancient inhabitants to develop an elaborate burial tradition applicable to the entire population. The excavated mounds provide a cross section of various social groups in the Early Dilmun society, attesting to thousands of individuals of different age, gender, and social class. They also offer crucial evidence on the evolution of elites and ruling classes. The ancient inhabitants of Bahrain understood the special geological configuration of the island and used less fertile land for the development of these extraordinary cemeteries.

Criterion (iv): The evolution of the Early Dilmun civilization is reflected in the architecture of the Dilmun Burial Mounds. Five different mound types give clues about the emergence of social hierarchies. Even though the burial mounds can be divided according to variations in size and interior design, the basic layout of the mounds remains the same throughout the 450-year period. The construction typology is exceptional. The majority of the tombs were constructed as single-storeyed small cylindrical towers while some of the bigger two-storeyed examples were built in a ziggurat-like shape. A very particular and unique characteristic of the Dilmun tumuli construction is the presence of alcoves. Depending on the occupant’s social status there can be up to six of such alcoves which were usually filled with mortuary gifts.

Encyclopedia Record: Dilmun Burial Mounds

The Dilmun Burial Mounds are a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising necropolis areas on the main island of Bahrain dating back to the Dilmun and the Umm al-Nar culture.

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