Shuwaikh Island (), also known as ''Akkaz Island'', is a
former island
A former island is a mass of land that was once an island, but has been joined to a mainland, another island, or engulfed by a body of water. The process of joining might be the result of volcanic activity, moving tidal sands, or through land re ...
of
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
within Kuwait Bay. The former island is now joined to Kuwait's
Shuwaikh
Shuwaikh () is a seaside district of Kuwait City in Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at t ...
industrial area as an extension via land bridge and therefore no longer exists as an island.
The area is an archaeological site with pieces dating back to 2000 BC spanning various civilizations such as the
Parthian
Parthian may refer to:
Historical
* Parthian people
* A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran
* Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD)
* Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language
* Parthian shot, an archery sk ...
,
Sassanid
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
,
Hellenistic
In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
,
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...
,
Dilmun
Dilmun, or Telmun, ( Sumerian: ,Transliteration: Similar text: later 𒉌𒌇(𒆠), NI.TUKki = dilmunki; ) was an ancient East Semitic–speaking civilization in Eastern Arabia mentioned from the 3rd millennium BC onwards. Based on contextual ...
,
Nestorian Christian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
and
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...
.
Sassanid Empire
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...
. At the time of the Sassanid Empire, Kuwait was known as ''Meshan'', which was an alternative name of the kingdom of Characene. Akkaz was a Partho-Sassanian
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
site; the Sassanid religion's tower of silence
A ''dakhma'' (), also known as a Tower of Silence (), is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation (that is, the exposure of human corpses to the elements for decomposition), in order to avoid contamination of the ...
was discovered in northern Akkaz.[ In addition to Partho-Sasanian settlements, Akkaz also contains ancient Christian settlements.][ ]Characene
Characene (Ancient Greek: Χαρακηνή), also known as Mesene (Μεσσήνη) or Meshan, was a kingdom founded by the Iranian Hyspaosines located at the head of the Persian Gulf mostly within modern day Iraq. Its capital, Charax Spasinou ( ...
coins were also discovered in Akkaz.
See also
* Umm an Namil Island
Umm al Namil () is an island belonging to Kuwait, located within Kuwait Bay, in Persian Gulf. The island is at shortest, away from the Kuwaiti mainland.
The island is known to be the site of several archeological finds, mainly from the ancien ...
* Failaka Island
Failaka Island ( '' / ''; Kuwaiti Arabic:فيلچه ) is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek – ' " ...
* H3 (Kuwait)
H3 (also H3, as-Sabiyah) is an archaeological site in the Subiya Region (Kuwait) that was occupied during the second half of the sixth millennium BC. It was a cultural borderland between the Mesopotamian and the Arabian Neolithic. Finds at the si ...
* Bahra 1
Bahra 1 is an archaeological site in the Subiya region on the coast of Kuwait Bay (Kuwait) associated with the Ubaid culture. It is one of the earliest Ubaid culture settlements in the Persian Gulf region, about 5500–4900 BC.
History of re ...
* Ikaros (Failaka Island)
Ikaros () was the Hellenistic name for what is now the Failaka Island of Kuwait. It is located southeast of the spot where the Tigris and Euphrates empty into the Persian Gulf. For thousands of years, the island served as a strategic point in ...
* Subiya, Kuwait
Subiya or al-Subiyah () is a region in northern Kuwait on the north coast of Kuwait Bay (Kuwait), consisting of several micro-regions: Bahra, H3 (Jazirat Dubaji), Nahdain, Radha, Muhaita, Mughaira, Dubaij, and Ras al-Subiyah. The area features ...
References
External links
*http://demo.sakhr.com/diwan/emain/Story_Of_Kuwait/Kuwait_before_Oil/Social_Life/village_life.html
Islands of Kuwait
Former islands
Archaeological sites in Kuwait
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