Qal’at al-Bahrain – Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun

A 12-metre mound by the sea compresses four thousand years of Gulf history into its layers. Qal'at al-Bahrain was the capital of Dilmun, the trading civilisation otherwise known mainly from Sumerian texts, and people lived on the spot continuously from about 2300 BC until the 16th century AD, when the Portuguese crowned the tell with the fort that gives it its name. Only about a quarter has been excavated. UNESCO inscribed the ancient harbour and capital in 2005.