The Diraz Temple (also referred to as Duraz Temple, Maabet al Diraz, Daraz Temple, ) is located on the side of Budaiya Highway, in the village of
Diraz
Diraz (, also spelled Duraz) is the biggest and most populated village on the northwest coast of Bahrain. It lies to the east of Budaiya, west of Barbar, Bahrain, Barbar and north of Bani Jamra. Two Dilmun era archaeological sites, namely Diraz Te ...
in
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
. No concrete evidence has been found to determine which god(s) the temple was dedicated for.
The architectural characteristics are unique not only in Bahrain (see
Barbar Temple
The Barbar Temple () is an archaeological site located in the village of Barbar, Bahrain, considered to be part of the Dilmun culture. The most recent of the three Barbar temples was rediscovered by a Danish archaeological team in 1954. A furth ...
for comparison), but also when compared to
Mesopotamian
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...
or
Indus Valley
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...
temple sites from a similar era.
History
Diraz Temple dates to circa 3rd millennium BCE based on the recovered artifacts from the site among which are a snake vessel, Barbar potteries, and two
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 ...
seals with animal figures.
The site was excavated by the British Archaeological Mission in cooperation with the Directorate of Archaeology in the 1970s.
Archaeological remains
The temple was carried by the cylindrical columns with the diameter of 120 cm. The 60 cm high remains of the columns are placed 2 to 3 m apart from each other. In between them stands a square base which could be an altar or a statue base. In the middle of
cella
In Classical architecture, a or naos () is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings: of a hermit's or monk's cell, and (since the 17th century) of a biological cell ...
one can see the remains of a sacrificial altar and the remains of two other rooms with uncertain functions. To the West, a damaged grave dating to 2nd millennium BCE has been found with the remains of a human body.
See also
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List of archaeological sites in Bahrain
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Culture of Bahrain
The culture of Bahrain is part of the historical region of Eastern Arabia. Thus, Bahrain's culture is similar to that of its Arab neighbours in the Persian Gulf region. Bahrain is known for its cosmopolitanism, Bahraini citizens are very ethnica ...
References
External links
Visit Bahrain Official Site, Diraz TempleTimeOut Dubai, 30 Historical Sites in Bahrain{{Archaeological sites in Bahrain
Ancient Near East temples
Archaeological sites in Bahrain
Buildings and structures completed in the 30th century BC
Tourism in Bahrain