4,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Temple Unearthed in Kuwait, Experts Call It a Rare Find
Archeologists have uncovered a Bronze Age temple in Kuwait, which they believe will reveal more about the city's past. The temple was found on Failaka Island by a Kuwaiti-Danish team from the Moesgaard Museum, the Greek Reporter reported. The researchers believe the temple was associated with the ancient Dilmun civilization and dates back 4,000 years.
(Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Ahmed Adly)
Past excavations revealed traces of the temple's wall on top of a hill on the island, Ancient Origins reported. Researchers from the Moesgaard Museum probed further and located the full temple in 2024, measuring 11x11 meters (36.08x36.08 feet) in size.
The seals and pottery found in the temple helped archeologists connect the structure with the Dilmun people. Dilmun was a group of East Semitic-speaking population from eastern Arabia who had trade relationships with Mesopotamian civilization.
Dilmun civilization flourished in the third millennium BC, Ancient Origins reported. They resided in places like modern-day Bahrain, eastern Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where their settlements like the one in Failaka Island can still be found.
The structure was located close to other prominent places in the area like the Palace’ and 'Dilmun Temple,' Ancient Origins reported. Dr. Hassan Ashkenani, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Kuwait University states that the structure's close positioning to important administrative establishments reflects the temple's overall importance in the affairs of those times.
Dr. Stephen Larsen, head of the Danish delegation involved in the project claims that the temple's layout provides a lot of context regarding religious practices during the early Dilmun period, Ancient Origins reported. The researcher emphasized the altars found inside the establishment in his argument and believes that they had a huge role in the rituals followed by people of the civilization.
The excavations in the area will continue in 2025, with hopes that more details about the place's history come to light, Greek Reporter reported. The research aims to understand the practices and traditions of the Dilmun people in the area and how they intersected with the contemporary history of those times.
Mohammed bin Reda, Assistant Secretary General of the Antiquities and Museums Sector, has assured civilians of the government's support to archeological missions like this which are aimed at preserving Kuwait's heritage, Ancient Origins reported. He further claimed that his council would give as much aid as possible to concerned forces in protecting the sites from further exploitation. Reda believes discoveries like the temple indicate the prominent place held by Failaka Island in the Dilmun civilization.