One of the earliest Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf has been discovered by British archaeologists who say the groundbreaking find is more than 1,300 years old. It has been unearthed in the Kingdom of Bahrain and could date back to the 4th century.
The archaeological team from the UK’s Exeter University found the excavated building was part of the Church Of The East also known as the Nestorian Church, a sect of Christianity across what was then known as Asia Minor that thrived until the 7th century when the spread of Islam began. It’s the first evidence that the Nestorian Church was present in modern-day Bahrain.
The dig was a joint project initiated by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and led by Professor Timothy Insoll from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter University whose excavation began in 2019 and continued through to 2023.
The researchers believe the eight-room structure is a palace belonging to a bishop that dates back to between the mid-4th and mid-7th centuries, as confirmed by radiocarbon dating. The building has a kitchen, a refectory, a dining room, a workroom and three living rooms. Three plaster crucifixes and graffiti of Christian symbols helped the excavation team determine that the stone-walled excavation is a former religious site. Records show that the area had a rocky relationship with church authorities as a bishop was excommunicated in the year 410.
The building in a village on Bahrain’s northern coast, survived after a mosque was constructed on the same site hundreds of years ago. Among the finds were copper coins minted by the Sasanian Empire, which was a powerhouse in the region until the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th and 8the centuries.
The archaeologists also uncovered evidence that the occupants drank wine and ate pork — two practices that were forbidden after Islam became the dominant religion. Various crops found in the dig are currently being analysed in order to help solve more mysteries about Christianity in Bahrain. A small number of churches, monasteries and residences have been found in the Gulf in the past though most have been dated much later.
The site is now being turned into a museum to preserve this important piece of history. The historical landmark is expected to reopen to the public in 2025.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Shows Professor Timothy Insoll at Bahrain excavation site)
