Barbarian Temple
Coordinates: 26 ° 13 ′ 34 ″ N , 50 ° 29 ′ 3 ″ E
The remains of a prehistoric temple have been excavated near the village of Barbar on the north coast of the main island of Bahrain . It is one of the most important buildings that can be attributed to the Dilmun culture . The temple was uncovered by a Danish excavation team from 1954 to 1961, but then filled in again to protect it from further destruction. It was dug up again in 1983 and has been open to inspection ever since.
During the excavations, three successive temples could be distinguished (temples I - III). The oldest of these temples was built around 2250 BC. Built in BC. This stood on a round elevation with a spring at the southwest corner. The actual temple consisted of a stepped structure with the actual temple building on it. In the east there was an oval wall. Temple II was best preserved and constructed in a similar way. The spring was bordered with stones and connected by a staircase to the actual temple, which in turn consisted of two platforms, the inner one roughly trapezoidal. The remains of openings for altars were found on the floor. Alabaster vessels, the copper handle of a mirror in the shape of a human and the copper head of a bull were found in a shaft.
Temple III was poorly preserved and suffered badly from stone robbery. Again, there was a platform that was at least 4 meters high. At the same time as Temple III, a second temple was built in the northeast, which also stood on a platform.
It is not known which deity was worshiped here. From Mesopotamian texts it is known that Inzak was the main deity of Dilmun, who in turn was regarded as the son of Enki . Enki was also god of fresh water , which in turn can be linked to the spring in the temple, but it is not known that Enki was worshiped in Dilmun.
Web links
literature
- H. Hellmuth Anderson, Flemming Holjund: The Barbar Temples , In: Harriet Crawford (Ed.), Michael Rice (Ed.): Traces of paradise: the archeology of Bahrain 2500B.C.-300A.D. University College, London 2000, ISBN 0-9538666-0-2 , pp. 89-92