Surveys in Bahrain, 1993

In 1993, following a preliminary trip the previous year, INA began a 10 week survey in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain.  Directed by Ralph K. Pedersen, INA Research Associate and then doctoral student in the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University, with the assistance of fellow graduate student James Coggeshall, the survey examined various areas off the northern coast of Bahrain for evidence of shipwrecks.  In the latter part of the survey, the director interviewed local fishermen for their knowledge of sailing conditions and lore.  Contacts were established with the western expatriate diving community associated with the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

Presented below is a summary of the results of the survey.  One shipwreck was found, intriguing rumors and stories were revealed, and some fascinating possibilities came to light in this ancient land where seafaring has been an integral part of life for thousands of years.

Is Haileh

Meaning "white sand," or "clean sand," Is Haileh was discovered by a fisherman from a village near Budaiya ("Al Budayyi" on Map 2).  Abdulaziz Sowaileh, Superintendent of Archaeology, brought the site to the survey team's attention after the fisherman gave him a teapot recovered from the sea.  The site, in the sea west of Budaiya, was a coral head, one of many in the area.  While anchored at Is Haileh, only about 1.5 meters deep at low tide, the fisherman recovered several sherds.  He claimed there were many more sherds and intact pots below.  Whether the ceramics represent a wreck or jettisoned material remains to be determined.  A teapot was tentatively dated to the 14th century.  Sherds from the site were all Islamic.

Under-Water Houses

Between Is Haileh and Budaiya, the fisherman showed the director an area with "houses" under water.  The clarity of the water revealed what appeared to be man-made walls on the seabed, about 2 meters down.  The walls, some at right angles to others, were too deep to be fish traps.  Also, stone-made traps would be atypical as Bahraini traps are made of a fencing of poles.  If this was a submerged settlement, the only times the sea would have been low enough to permit occupation would have been circa 1800 B.C. and 400 B.C.[1]

The "Amphora Wreck"

During a subsequent examination at Is Haileh, the director and personnel from TechDive, a local diving company, made a drift dive in a nearby channel.  This channel had a maximum depth of 30 feet on a north-south course.  Drifting toward the north, the team discovered a ceramic jug.  No other artifacts could be seen within the 3 or 4-meter range of visibility.  The vessel was heavily encrusted on one side (2 cm.) and less so on the other (2 to 3 mm.).  As the heavier encrustation was underneath the vessel as found, it appeared to have rolled there from another place.  Further exploration of the immediate environs was not possible due to the strong current then running.  The vessel was raised for examination and dating.  

The vessel was ovoid but slightly asymmetrical, with a pointed toe.

Handles and neck were missing.  With cleaning, the attachment points for three handles became visible on the shoulder.  The toe was chipped and worn.

The vessel measured 36 cm. in length, 20.4 cm. in maximum diameter, and 4.6 liters in volume.

The outer neck had an outer diameter of 6.4 cm. and inner of 4.5 cm.  The handle-attachment points on the shoulder each measured 3.5 cm. in diameter and located approximately 2.5 cm. from the edge of the neck opening.  The fabric was approximately 9 mm. thick, light in color, and had a coarse texture with large granules.

There was no evidence of paint or a slip.  The only visible decoration was a pair of 1.9 mm. wide lines,  incised 1 mm. deep and parallel to each other running, spaced 1.9 cm. apart. 

The vessel, or "triphora" may be from a wreck known to expatriate divers as the "Amphora Wreck."  This wreck lies in the same area where the triphora was located, and at least two similar vessels have been found in the area.  Sport divers at some point also raised the neck and shoulder of another type of vessel.  They reported the wreck to be somewhat scattered but more of these ceramic vessels can be found.  None recall having seen any other artifacts in the area of the wreck, but the divers admit they have never examined the site closely.

The local villagers have a legend about a wrecking near the cairn they claim occurred "several generations" ago, which the expatriate divers assumed to mean about 100 years ago.  Whether this has any connection the triphora or the wreck found by the sport divers is unknown.

Information from a Pearl Diver

Interviews with an old pearl diver yielded three areas of interest:

1. The "Frying Pan"

This area (Arabic name unknown) located between Muharraq and Sitra at the southern end of Khor Khaliyah (Map 2) is a constriction of the tidal currents. When the tide changes, conflicting currents cause the sea to "bubble like a frying pan."  This phenomenon is exacerbated by the wind.  Many ships have been lost there, and sailors pass through there cautiously.  Ships sailing to and from the ancient Dilmun capital, now located under Manama, would have passed through the "Frying Pan" and may have suffered similar dangers as those encountered by modern vessels.  A channel, however, has been dredged through this area to a depth of 9.8 meters.  Heavy sea traffic would be a problem for any investigation.  Fortunately, the area is not completely dredged, so there may be remains of ships in the unaffected areas.

2. The "Bermuda Triangle of the Gulf"

Another area mentioned by the pearl diver was called, at least in translation, the "Bermuda Triangle of the Gulf."  In this place, two strong currents meet and, as a result, many ships are lost.  When sailors pass through this area, they sacrifice to the sea either a goat or a chicken as appeasement for safe passage.  The pearl diver stated this place is to the northeast of Bahrain, is "without bottom," and mountains can be seen from there.  This leads to the conclusion that the "triangle" is far out in the gulf, within sight of Iran.

3. Under-Water Walls

The pearl diver also mentioned the existence of submerged walls near the island of Qassar al Qulay'ah, west of the frying pan (Map 2).  The directore saw neither these nor any overt evidence of occupation on the island.  Aside from modern refuse and some nondescript sherds, there were no signs of human activity on the island.  However, the island would have been the logical place for a lighthouse or a sentry post to guard the southern entrance to the bay.

The Bandar ad Dar Interviews

Interviews with fishermen at Bandar ad Dar, a fishing port on Sitra Island (Map 2), yielded four areas of potential.  When queried if they knew of any pottery in the sea and whether they knew of any shipwrecks, several fishermen responded they had found pottery but, as they saw no value in it, they always threw it back. They could not pin-point locations. However, all agreed there was pottery and many wrecks to be found along Fasht al-Azm, a reef reaching east from Bahrain toward Qatar.  In addition, the fishermen named three other areas considered dangerous for ships and known to contain wrecks of recent dates.  These are Halul (an island located between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates), Gaidat Bulyal and Fasht al-Dibal (a reef between Bahrain and Qatar [Map 2]).   

Budaiya Cairn

Located to the northwest of Budaiya, this feature stands at the northern end of the channel in which was found the triphora.  The cairn and the surrounding area have been explored by sport divers, who spotted stone anchors and ceramics in the vicinity.  On at least one occasion, scanners recorded a curious underwater feature on the west side of the channel.  This was not investigated.

The Wreck at Abu Mahir Fort

During construction of the coast guard station at the old Abu Mahir fort on Muharraq, a shipwreck was found adjacent the fort.  At one point, possibly in the 16th or 17th centuries, the fort was sacked and burned; and the ship remains showed signs of fire. The keel and several other timbers were extant, as were five cannons.  The cannons were removed, but the rest of the wreck was left in place and now lies under the concrete of the wharf. The cannons are displayed at the reconstructed facade of the fort and at the entrance to the Bahrain National Museum. Attributes of the wreck were not recorded.  Other wrecks of the same period and battle may lie in the small, shallow bay between Abu Mahir Fort and Arad Fort (Map 3).

The Ship-Buoy Wreck

This site is located under a buoy just off the Dhow harbor in Manama.  The wreck was discovered a few decades ago as a channel was being dredged.  Older locals remember large timbers being hauled off the bottom.  Whether any parts of this wreck remain is unclear, but as the site is still marked by a buoy, some of the wreck may still be extant.  There is no date for this wreck, nor was anything from it saved or recorded.

The Flats Near the Portuguese Fortress

On the central northern coast of Bahrain lie the ruins of the Portuguese fortress called Qala'at al-Bahrain.  This site has been occupied since antiquity, as excavations have revealed strata dating to the Dilmun Period (late third/early second millennium B.C.), the Hellenistic period (late first millennium B.C.), and up through the Islamic era.  The Portuguese, in their expansion into the Indian Ocean beginning in the 1490s, established forts in Bahrain, and battled Ottoman Turks for control of the Persian Gulf.  The fortresses were ultimately abandoned as Portuguese power in the region faded.

The seafront at the Portuguese fortress is a tidal flat of mud and reef extending north approximately one kilometer.  At high tide, water covers it to a depth of about one meter.  At low tide, the flats are exposed.  The mud may be a meter, or more, deep in some places.  

A channel, running roughly north to south, now disused and silting up, once gave the fort/city access to the sea.  At the north end of the channel, on the west side, are the ruins of a lighthouse.  While the most of the remains of this structure are only two or three centuries old, there is a suggestion a Hellenistic structure stood there originally.

The flats may contain watercraft abandoned after they outlived their usefulness.  Evidence of such abandonment of hulls can be seen today.  A fiberglass-on-wood-frame boat, left on the flats a few hundred meters north of the fort, is disintegrating into large sections and sinking into the mud.

There is the potential of finding ancient vessels similarly abandoned on the flats.  Unlike several other areas of the coast, modern reclamation, dredging, or construction has not disturbed this area.          

[1] P. Sanlaville and R. Paskoff, "Shoreline Changes in Bahrain Since the Beginning of Human Occupation." In Bahrain Through the Ages. pp. 15-24.

This project was made possible by the generosity of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology 

and the kind assistance of the Bahrain Ministry of Information, 

the Bahrain National Museum, 

Kevin Patience and TechDive, 

BAPCO, 

Robert Killick, Jane Moon, and the London-Bahrain Expedition at Saar, 

and the many interested and enthusiastic individuals in Bahrain.

We particularly thank Abdulaziz Soweileh, superintendent of archaeology 

for his friendship and aid.

We are most grateful to them all.

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