Bahrain National Museum

About Bahrain National Museum

Public museum in Bahrain

Bahrain National Museum is the largest public museum in Bahrain and the oldest national museum in the Gulf, on the waterfront near King Faisal Highway in Manama, next to the Bahrain National Theatre. Opened by the Emir, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, on 15 December 1988, the 30-million-dollar complex covers 27,800 square metres in two buildings by Danish architects and is widely seen as the region's first modern museum. Its roots go back to 1957, when Bahrain's first exhibition of archaeological finds was held at the Hidaya Boys School with the Danish expedition excavating Bahrain Fort, and a first national museum opened in 1970. The displays cover six thousand years of Bahraini history: three halls on archaeology and the ancient Dilmun civilisation, with its burial mounds, seals and inscriptions, including the copper bull's head from Barbar Temple; two halls on traditional life before oil, pearl diving, crafts, weddings and markets; and a natural history hall, opened in 1993, on the island's environment, plants and animals, plus a hall of documents and manuscripts.

Where:

Manama, Bahrain