Ancient necropoles in the form of tumuli - Dilmun Burial Mounds 1542; Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices 01718
After a long break due to my relocation to Scotland, I have finally resumed my blog-writing due to popular demands. I have not given up blogging, just finding the time and space for it.
What and Why
The Dilmun Burial Mounds (Arabic: مدافن دلمون, madafin dilmun) are ancient necropoles in the form of tumulus clusters found scattered around the island of Bahrain (البحرين, Al-Baḥrayn). These burial tumuli date back to the Dilmun (Sumerian: 𒉌𒌇) Kingdom which goes as far as the 2nd millennium BCE. These mound clusters can include from a dozen to a few thousand together, as pictured above in the site of A'ali (عالي). These sites are concentrated mostly on the northern part of the island. Each of these mound can house more than one dead body and in that context this can actually be called the largest mass cemetery in the world!
The original idea of these tumulus clusters remains an archaeological mystery yet to be discovered. What is more interesting is actually the reasons to cluster burial tombs together with almost totally unrelated people groups.
Due to the large number of graves growing over the years, the size, styles and construction methods of these mass graves vary largely. However the most typical of them are now located in the beautiful Bahrain National Museum (متحف البحرين الوطني, Muthaf Albahrayn Alwatanii) in Manama (المنامة, Al-Manāma) accompanied with very detailed descriptions. Many of the artefacts are now housed in the museum.
Toponymy
The name 'Manama' is derived from the Arabic word 'المنامة (al-manãma)' meaning 'the resting place'.
The name 'Dilmun' was roughly translated from Sumerian as the 'land of the living', as it is the scene of some versions of the Sumerian creation myth, and the place where the deified Sumerian hero of the flood, Utnapishtim (Akkadian: 𒌓𒍣), was taken by the gods to live forever.
See
Most of the tumuli are composed of a central stone chamber enclosed by a ring rampart covered by earth and gravel, in a sense the shape parallels to the tumuli blogged in Donore (Dún Uabhair) and Seoul (서울) - South bank but much smaller in size, in the Dilmun case, they usually measure 5 to 9 m in diameter and 1 - 2 m high only.
The smaller mounds usually contain only one chamber and are single-storeyed. The chambers are usually rectangular with one or two alcoves, but for bigger ones there can be more chambers. Although the chambers usually contained one burial each, many contain several people.
The bodies were accompanied by a few mortuary gift items of potteries, shells, stamp seals, weapons or baskets of jewelleries. Many tumuli bury the entire family and babies are generally buried outside the ring-wall. According to the signboards, the average life expectancy during the period is around 40 years.
The multiple-alcove mound: as mentioned it has been discovered that in many mounds, unrelated people are buried together, possibly they are not very rich and hence share the grave.
There are a number of mounds of royalty or upper class people and they are mostly in A'ali. These larger tombs are usually two-storeyed as opposed to the common single-storeyed ones. Some of these royal tombs are built in a pyramid tower shape. In fact it has been shown that there are at least four different mound size and types that show the different social hierarchies of the deceased.
Buy and Do
Manama Souq (سوق المنامة)
The Manama Souq (سوق المنامة) is the city's main traditional shopping attraction with its iconic entrance gate. It is basically the usual Arabic network of small alleys of shops, selling traditional handicrafts like brassware, carpets, and spices.
As in our blogged Al-Ain (ٱلْعَيْ), one important art piece to purchase from the souq is the art of Arabic calligraphy (فن الخط العربي, fanu al-khati al-araby). Again, this is beyond my usual price range for a souvenir. As mentioned Arabic calligraphy is inscribed as ICH.
It is interesting to note that the Bahraini dinar (دينار) BHD is the second highest-value currency in the world! This is priced at around USD $2.65 per dinar as per writing! Everything seems to look cheap but is in fact not!
Stay
We were staying in the Downtown Rotana - Manama (داون تاون روتانا), with a full view of the city and the iconic Bahrain World Trade Center (مركز البحرين التجاري العالمي, Markaz Albahrayn Altijarii Alealamii). Very good business hotel.
Getting There and Around
Manama is only a short 30-minute drive from the airport, which is located in our blogged Muharraq (المحرق). Public transportation is not good in Bahrain and one relies on a taxi a lot. The burial mounds are scattered around the northern part of the island, Manama is not an interesting city per se and I suggest two or three days maximum.
UNESCO Inscriptions
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.
Arabic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting Arabic script in a fluid manner to convey harmony, grace and beauty. The practice, which can be passed down through formal and informal education, uses the twenty-eight letters of the Arabic alphabet, written in cursive, from right to left. Originally intended to make writing clear and legible, it gradually became an Islamic Arab art for traditional and modern works. The fluidity of Arabic script offers infinite possibilities, even within a single word, as letters can be stretched and transformed in numerous ways to create different motifs. Traditional techniques use natural materials, such as reeds and bamboo stems for the qalam, or writing instrument. A mixture of honey, black soot and saffron is used for the ink, and the paper is handmade and treated with starch, egg white and alum. Modern calligraphy commonly uses markers and synthetic paint, and spray paint is used for calligraffiti on walls, signs and buildings. Artisans and designers also use Arabic calligraphy for artistic enhancement, such as for marble and wood carving, embroidery and metal etching. Arabic calligraphy is widespread in Arab and non-Arab countries and is practised by men and women of all ages. Skills are transmitted informally or through formal schools or apprenticeships.
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