Bahrain’s ancient Christian site prepares for visitors
A Christian building dating back to the 16th century that archaeologists uncovered in Bahrain will soon be open to visitors.
Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) Antiquities and Museums director Dr Salman Al Mahari told Bahrain This Week the site in Samaheej, a village in Bahrain on the northern coast of Muharraq, is getting ready with the needed information and pathways to welcome visitors who are interested.
Radiocarbon dating reveals that the building was occupied between the mid-4th and mid-8th centuries. Excavations, led by Dr Al Mahari and British archaeologist Professor Timothy Insoll, uncovered a large structure beneath a mound in a village cemetery. The site revealed eight surviving rooms, including a kitchen, a refectory or dining room, a possible work room, and three living rooms. The building was preserved due to a later mosque constructed on top of it.
“We have finished the excavation at the Samaheej archaeological site, and yes, we confirm the date of this building as around the 4th century, which means the age of this building dates back to around the 16th century—1600 years,” said Dr Al Mahari.
“This building is one of the oldest Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf and one of the earliest buildings in the region. The next step is to prepare the site to receive visitors, and we will be adding more information on the site, besides adding a pathway for visitors, with a limited number at a given time, to help interested visitors take a look at the building, and understand its importance, history, and content.”
According to a statement from the University of Exeter, the building was occupied between the mid-4th and mid-8th centuries AD. The identification was aided by the discovery of a plaster cross that would have been displayed on the building, a personal plaster cross, and graffiti featuring early Christian symbols, as noted by Prof Insoll and Dr Al Mahari.
“We were amused to find someone had also drawn part of a face on a pearl shell in bitumen, perhaps for a child who lived in the building,” said Prof Isnoll.
“This is the first physical evidence found of the Nestorian Church in Bahrain and gives a fascinating insight into how people lived, worked, and worshiped. The building was abandoned when the local population converted to Islam, and a mosque was built on top of it. Eight of the rooms from the Christian building survived, including a kitchen with several hearths, a dining room, a possible work room, and three living rooms. The rooms had plastered stone walls and plastered floors. Sockets and holes in the walls indicate where doors and benches were placed. Food remains show that the inhabitants consumed pork, fish, shellfish, and various plants that are still being analysed. Small wine glasses, copper coins minted in the Sasanian Empire, spindle whorls, copper needles, carnelian beads, and pottery imported from India were also recovered.”
The 57-year-old Africanist and Islamic Studies scholar has been the Professor of African and Islamic Archaeology at the University of Exeter. He is also founder and director of the Centre for Islamic Archaeology at the university.
Both Prof Insoll and Dr Al Mahari suggested that the building was the palace of the bishop of the diocese of which Samahij was part, called Meshmahig or Mašmahig in the historical sources.
Previously, the handful of Christian buildings—churches, monasteries, residences—dotted around the Gulf were found in small, remote locations in Iran, Kuwait, the UAE and eastern Saudi Arabia, the majority later in date. Samahij is different because it is in the heart of a modern settlement.