Hall of Graves
T
he belief in an after-life had a great influence on the people of Dilmun who took particular care of the dead and their graves. They buried the dead with personal effects and other articles, which they believed, may be needed in the after-life. This practice continued from 3000 B.C. to just before the advent of Islam in 622 A.D.
Bahrain is the site of more than 100,000 burial mounds. It is the largest prehistoric cemetery in the smallest area in the world.
In the Hall of Graves, actual graves have been reconstructed stone by stone to illustrate the different methods of construction, the layout of the tombs, the placement of the body and the personal effects and articles that were buried with the dead.
The reconstruction of seven different types of graves trace local burial practices from the Early Type mounds through the honeycombed Sar burial complex to the large late Type burial mound in the center of Hall. There is also the Middle Dilmun mass grave, the clay coffin and jar burials and, finally, the Tylos burials. Artifacts found in the graves, ranging from pottery to jewellery, bronze weapons and tools, and delicate glassware, are displayed near the reconstructions.
A special section of the Hall illustrates the fascinating story of how the bones found in Bahrain's graves can be studied to learn how these ancient people lived and died. Bones are studied to identify the sex, age, height, foods consumed, and diseases contracted.
