Modern History of Bahrain

and Citizenship
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Prepared by: Dr. Hamad E. al-Abdulla
 Bahrain in Ancient History

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 1. Dilmun
(2800–323 BCE)

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 • How did we come to know about the civilization of Dilmun (also
known as Tilmun)?
Through a series of archaeological excavations that included the
islands of Bahrain, the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula,
and the islands located to the west of the Arabian Gulf. The
civilization of Dilmun is considered to be one of the most ancient
civilizations known in the Middle East.

‫ محد إبرإهمي عبدهللا‬.‫ د‬:‫إعدإد‬

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 One of the most ancient records to
mention the civilization of Dilmun is
found in a clay tablet dating back to
approximately the year 2500 BCE. The
tablet was recorded during the reign of
the Sumerian King of Lagash known as
Ur-Nanshe. His time period is widely
known for the erection of temples and
the construction of water channels. The
tablet states that wood was transported
from Dilmun to the city-states of
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Mesopotamia.
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Ur-Nanshe’s clay tablet at the Louvre
 http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/perforated-relief-king-ur-nanshe

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The natural sources that enabled the emergence of the civilization of Dilmun:
1. Its distinguished strategic location, as it played a connecting role
between civilizations.
2. Shallow waters, that distinguished the western coast of the Arabian Gulf
and enabled ancient boats to maneuver.
3. The natural resources found in the Arabian Gulf area that included fish
and pearls.
4. The availability of natural water resources.
As such a number of city-states were established that gained their
authority on a religious basis via the establishment of religious temples.
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 ‫‪Saar Temple‬‬
‫إعدإد‪ :‬د‪ .‬محد إبرإهمي عبدهللا‬
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• The existence of the civilization of Dilmun lasted for approximately 3,000
years.
• The people who lived in this area were originally Semitic who had most
likely migrated from the Arabian Peninsula.
Who are the Semites?
They are a group of people that share common cultural traits and who speak
languages that are considered to be Semitic like: Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic,
Aramaic, and Maltese, to name a few. The name was likely used for the first
time in the eighteenth century and is derived from Sam (Shem) the son of
Prophet Noah (peace be upon him).
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• Discovered cuneiform clay tablets have indicated through archaeological
findings that the island of Bahrain is Dilmun as mentioned in the records
of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians.

(Cuneiform Script)

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• The civilization of Dilmun connected with various civilizations in the following
regions: the Indus Valley, Persia, and the eastern coast of Africa.
• Additionally the civilization established contacts with the various city-states of
Mesopotamia. In evidence the ancient Sumerians used a “bird-shaped” symbol
symbolizing the civilization of Dilmun.

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• The people of Dilmun were known for using seals:
1. They symbolized the environment and culture of the civilization.
2. The seals displayed the identity of the people residing within
Dilmun.
3. The seals first appeared around 2050 BCE.
4. Most seals are circular in shape.

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• Cuneiform writings found in Mesopotamia state that Dilmun was amongst the largest
distributors of copper in the region.
• Further, trade flourished in that time period.
• The people of the civilization were known for fishing, pearl-diving, construction of ships,
and trade.
• One of the main reasons for the flourishing of Dilmun was its natural waters and
greenery.
• The civilization was well known for trade and the exchange of goods.
• It acted as a connecting point for goods between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia
(goods such as: woods, ivory, copper, and semiprecious stones). It continued to act as a
connecting point until the fall of the Indus Civilization in the eighteenth century BCE.

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• In later eras, the people of Dilmun
continued their trade activities during
the reign of the Babylonian King
Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE).
Though Dilmun was weakened
following the collapse of the Indus
Civilization, it gained once again
strength trade-wise during the first
millennium BCE.

Hammurabi and
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Shamash
• The civilization of Dilmun attracted a number of neighboring
powers like:
1. Akkadians: under the leadership of Sargon of Akkad, who
sought to seize Dilmun.
2. Chaldeans: to whom Dilmun paid tributary taxes and sent gifts.
3. Assyrians: whose king Tukulti Ninurta boasted that he carried
the title of “King of Dilmun and Meluhha”.

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 A bust of
Sargon of
Akkad.

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 A carved
stone
featuring
Tukulti
Ninurta.

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 Dilmun’s belief system

‫ محد إبرإهمي عبدهللا‬.‫ د‬:‫إعدإد‬ Barbar Temple

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 Bull’s head found at the Barbar Temple
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 A’ali Burial Mounds.
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Inside one of the ‘Aali Royal Mounds in 1912
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Saar honeycomb graves
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 2. The Civilization of Tylos
(323 BCE–200 CE)

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 ‫ إلبحرين يف إلتارخي إلقدمي‬:‫أو ال‬
Dilmun/Tilmun

Tylos/Tyros

Muharraq Arados

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 ‫ إلبحرين يف إلتارخي إلقدمي‬:‫أو ال‬

Hellenic Hellenistic
Period Period
Classical Greek literature Greek culture combined with
and culture other foreign cultures
(507 BCE–323 BCE) (323 BCE–31 CE)

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 Alexander the Great’s empire, created in a time span of 13 years.
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What did Alexander the Great achieve?
1. He eliminated the Persian empire of the Achaemenids.
2. He controlled the Arabian Gulf and large areas of India in
around 326 BCE.
3. He attempted to create a water pathway in order to control
eastern and western trade routes.
4. He sent a mission with the objective of exploring the Arabian
Gulf (there were three missions in total that were sent).
5. In the first mission two ships reached Tylos (Bahrain), under
the command of Nearchus.

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How did the expedition to the Arabian Gulf
come about?
1. When Alexander the Great reached
India and the borders of China he
decided to return to Iraq.
2. His army took two routes, one via
land and the other the sea.
3. The sea route was overseen by
Nearchus who traveled via the Indus
River to the Indian Ocean and then to
the Arabian Gulf.

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In relation to the civilization of Tylos, the Roman
Historian Pliny the Elder noted the following:
1. That it was famous for its pearls.
2. That it was ruled by its people.
3. That it benefited from its relations with the
Greeks.

Pliny the Elder was born in 23 CE and died in 79

CE. He is renowned for publishing a book entitled
Natural History.

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 Following the death of Alexander the Great, his empire was
divided amongst his generals.
Texts found on the Island of Ikaros (Failaka) suggest the
following:
1. That the Seleucids (founded by Seleucus I)
sought to control Bahrain due to its commercial
importance.
2. This era was dominated by the use of Greek
language and culture until the coming of the first
century CE, due mostly to the influence exerted by
Alexander the Great’s successors. The Seleucids
controlled part of Iraq and the Levant. The Ptolemies
(founded by Ptolemy I) controlled Egypt.
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In Bahrain a city dating back to the Tylos Era was founded at Ras al-Qala’a, which is
the site of the Bahrain Fort.

Furthermore, it is worth nothing that the civilization of Tylos continued to play a key role
amongst ancient states in the region.

Its people were also involved in trade and the construction of ships.

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 Archaeological finds dating back to
the era of Tylos.

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 The Awal Period
(until 630 CE)

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The Awal period witnessed the migration of a number of Arab tribes to the
Bahrain region:
1. From the Qahtanites migrated the Azd.
2. From the ‘Adnanites migrated the Tamim, ‘Abd al-Qais, and Bakr bin
Wa’il.

In this era (of Awal) a number of alliances between Arab tribes and states
were broached, prior to the emergence of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.

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In this period Bahrain was known as “Awal”, in reference to a deity (pre-
Islamic era) worshiped by the Arab tribe of Bani Wa’il (or Bakr bin Wa’il) that
ruled over Bahrain at the time.

It’s important to note that the name of Bahrain was referred to at the time to
illustrate the region that encompassed Kuwait to the north up to the Coast of
Oman in the south.

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The era of Awal was known for the regional conflict that took place between
the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) and the Sasanian Empire
(Persians). The conflict between the two powers encompassed large areas of
the Middle East including the Arabian Peninsula.

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Moreover, the Sasanians were
involved in another conflict with the
Aksumite Empire (Ethiopia) to control
the southern parts of the Arabian
Peninsula.

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As a result of these conflicts: Awal’s trade and commerce were negatively
affected.

Henceforth, the trade routes from India via the Arabian Gulf region to the
Roman Empire were cut off, affecting the passage of goods.

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 The History of Bahrain
During the Islamic Period

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• Remember when we are talking
about Bahrain during this era, we
are focusing on the region that
was once known as Bahrain.

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• Islam emerged at the early parts of the seventh century CE.
• The region of Bahrain was amongst the earliest to embrace Islam.
• People of the region first embraced Islam following a letter that was sent
by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Bahrain. The letter was
carried by Al-’Alaa bin Al-Hadhrami. It was addressed to the ruler of the
Bahrain region at the time Al-Mundher bin Sawa al-Tamimi. It was sent in
the year 8 Hijri/630 CE.
• Following these developments a delegation from Bahrain was sent to
Medina headed by ‘Abdulla bin ‘Awf al-Ashaj.

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• Following the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) an
apostasy movement took place in parts of Arabia. The tribe of ‘Abd al-
Qais remained Muslim in the region of Bahrain. Troops from the first
Rightly Guided Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq were sent to reinforce them (i.e.,
the ‘Abd al-Qais) under the command of Al-’Alaa bin Al-Hadhrami.

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• During the reign of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Al-’Alaa bin Al-Hadhrami became
governor of Bahrain and remained in this position until the year 17
Hijri/639 CE.
• People from Bahrain took part in the Islamic conquests that swept the
east, namely in Persia and India.

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• List of governors of the region of Bahrain:
- Al-’Alaa bin Al-Hadhrami (was appointed by the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and
replaced during the reign of the Caliph ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab.
- ‘Othman bin Abi al-’Aas al-Thaqafi (was appointed during the reign of the
Caliph ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab).
- ‘Abdulla bin ‘Aamer (was appointed during the reign of the Caliph ‘Othman bin
‘Affan).
- ‘Amru bin Abi Salama (was appointed during the reign of the Caliph ‘Ali bin Abi
Taleb).
- Al-Nu’man bin Al-’Ajlan al-Ansari (was also appointed during the reign of the
Caliph ‘Ali bin Abi Taleb).
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 Bahrain’s Islamic Period History

Islamic Period in ‘Abbasid Era

Bahrain up to the End )750-1258(
of the Umayyad Era
)630-750( First Period Second Period
)750-860( )860-1258(

Zanj Qarmatians ‘Uyunids Salghurids The two states of

)862-833( )899-1077( )1077-1232( )1238-1253( the Bani ‘Aamer
(‘Usfurids and Jabrids)
)1253-1521(
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• During the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), a new administrative system
was broached in which Bahrain became a dependency of Basra, which in
turn was overseen by the Governor of Iraq based at Kufa.

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• Attempts to control Bahrain (as part of the rebellion against the Umayyads):
1. The Kharijites: They succeeded in controlling Bahrain under the leadership
of Najda bin ‘Aamer and Abi Fudaik. Their control lasted from 686 to 692 CE.
2. The Umayyads: The Umayyad Caliph ‘Abdulmalek bin Marwan sent an army
to assume control of Bahrain once again under the leadership of Al-Ash’ath bin
‘Abdulla al-’Abdi who was also appointed governor of the region.
3. The Kharijites: For the second time took control of the region under the
leadership of Mas’ud al-’Abdi from 707 to 723 CE.
4. Yamama: Finally the governor of the Yamama region was successful in
expelling the Kharijites from Bahrain.

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 • During Umayyad rule trade
flourished once again
regionally due to increased sea
and overland trade activity via
the Arabian Gulf region. The
effects of this trade revival
were felt in Bahrain.
An Umayyad dinar from the reign of
the Caliph ‘Abdulmalek bin Marwan
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