Friday, December 30, 2005

Dilmun Resurrected

I was delighted today when, during a visit to the 2nd Bahrain International Sculpture Symposium exhibition at the Bahrain National Museum, I discovered a gem of a show on the side!

A special exhibit celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the discovery of the Dilmun Civilization and the first Danish excavation expedition is erected at the entrance hall of the museum.

I don’t know how many people out there know about it (I didn’t) but this is an event that everyone should attend. The exhibition is a marvel and I was surprisingly impressed with a) the exhibits, b) how they are displayed, and c) the information accompanying them. There were even multi-media sources with documentaries, television interviews and sound clips, complementing the various rare and fascinating items collected from the excavation team and the expedition.

We Bahrainis forget that our country has such rich and deep history. All we know about it is whatever little we are taught at school, and let’s face it, most of us never paid attention during history class did we?

I urge you all to go see it before it’s too late. I couldn’t find out how long it will be on for. But it’s a pleasant treat, no doubt about it. I also got plenty of good information which I could be using for one of my future projects.

I spent many adays under the scorching sun out in the desert as a reporter, covering the latest discoveries on the burial mounds of Hamad Town. I found the whole process intriguing. I remember my conversations with one Bahrain excavator called Khalil, who almost wet himself in excitement every time they found a new piece!

Khalil, if you’re still out there, keep it up. The Danes started the job, but we Bahrainis can carry on with it!

On the other hand, the contemporary wooden sculpture expo also provided some excellent art pieces from artists from around the world. This years event, being organized I was specifically impressed with the pieces from Georgia and Poland.

To learn more about the event, read this article.

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