For more than two decades, the British archaeologist professor Timothy Insoll has been engaged in a fascinating enterprise: uncovering the rich history of Bahrain.
He has helped to reveal the secrets of Bilad Al Qadeem (the capital of the island during the Abbasid caliphate), recorded Islamic inscriptions and discovered much about the country’s Christian past.
For these and other achievements, and what they have done for UK-Bahraini relations, Prof Insoll was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the recent UK New Year Honours list.
Prof Insoll, 58, the founder and director of the Centre for Islamic Archaeology at the University of Exeter in the UK, told The National that the honour recognised not only his work, but also that of Bahraini colleagues. He hopes that it will generate “a lot more publicity for the rich archaeology of Bahrain”.
Journey of discovery
“More or less anywhere that you dig in Bahrain, you find archaeology; it’s just so densely packed with archaeology, it’s absolutely amazing,” Prof Insoll said.
Since 2001, Prof Insoll has spent about a month each year, usually in November, in Bahrain carrying out archaeological work.
His long association with the Gulf nation began when he saw that there was “a gap” in its archaeology, with detailed work having been carried out, for example, on the Dilmun civilisation (about 2300BC to 500BC) and the Tylos period (300BC to 300CE), but with much less analysis of the more recent Islamic period.
He approached the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who since 2020 has also been the Prime Minister, with a view to studying Bahrain’s Islamic archaeology.
“It was early in my career then and I was very lucky in the Crown Prince deciding that he would support this financially, as did the Arts and Humanities Research Board [now the Arts and Humanities Research Council] in the UK. It’s just grown from there,” he said.
Without the Crown Prince's “financial and moral support”, Prof Insoll and his colleagues “wouldn’t have been able to achieve half the things that we’ve done”.
Digging deeper
Prof Insoll’s interest in the Islamic period came because when he started training as an archaeologist three decades ago, art historians and architectural historians dominated research.
“They looked at beautiful buildings and palaces and artworks that are produced by the elites,” he said. “The actual archaeology of the everyday people, the middle classes, was neglected.
“All the sorts of things we would take for granted in non-Islamic archaeology, if I can put it like that – looking at diet, looking at mortality patterns, looking at identities – weren’t being studied in Islamic archaeology.”
Carried out under the auspices of the Early Islamic Bahrain project, his work in Bahrain began with excavations on the outskirts of Manama and has since encompassed sites across the country.
Bahrain’s archaeological richness is the result, Prof Insoll said, of its geographic position, which made it a stopping-off point for traders who brought material from India and China before heading up the Gulf. Bahrain was also just a “short hop” by boat to Saudi Arabia.
Prof Insoll has co-operated closely with Dr Salman Almahari, director general of antiquities for the Bahrain Authority of Culture and Antiquities, and said that the input of Bahraini archaeologists has been central to the projects he has been involved with.
Prof Insoll’s wife, Dr Rachel MacLean, herself a distinguished archaeologist, has also been a key colleague. The couple wrote the book An Archaeological Guide to Bahrain.
At Bilad Al Qadeem, the Bahraini capital in the 9th and 10th centuries, Prof Insoll and his colleagues have uncovered, among much else, housing, shops and a mosque. The Al Khamis Visitor’s Centre has subsequently been developed there, representing the first on-site display of Islamic archaeology in this part of the Gulf.
Another key initiative has been creation of Bahrain’s first inventory of pre-1900 Islamic funerary inscriptions. These were scattered across the country, but are now catalogued and protected.
Groundbreaking projects
A recent project has been the excavation of the first known Christian building in Bahrain. Built by the Nestorian Church or Church of the East, this was probably the palace of a bishop who controlled a large area of the Gulf region.
“It’s a very substantial building,” Prof Insoll said. “We found it underneath a mound in a cemetery, which the local community knew about, so we’re very grateful to them. They had this idea that a Christian building was there and they were proven right.”
This building was occupied from the middle of the fifth century to the middle of the eighth century, when the population converted to Islam.
Many objects from this site, such as coins, glass, pottery and plaster crucifixes, have been taken to the Bahrain National Museum.
Bahrain is “very proud” of its identity as a Muslim nation, but Prof Insoll said that the authorities have always been relaxed about the exploration of previous periods.
“That was one of the attractions for me working there,” he said. “We’ve always had the ability to investigate what we wanted and not to feel constricted in how we’ve interpreted it. They’ve always been open with regard to their past.”
While Prof Insoll has spent much of his career investigating Bahrain’s archaeological heritage, he has also carried out extensive work elsewhere, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, with eastern Ethiopia being an important current location.
Alongside the Crown Prince of Bahrain, a key figure to have supported his work is Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, who supports Prof Insoll’s position as Professor of African and Islamic Archaeology.
“Without Sheikh Sultan’s generosity, none of this could have taken place on a broader scale because I wouldn’t have had the institutional home in order to be able to do the research,” he said.
The University of Exeter is, Prof Insoll said, the top-ranked UK university for Arabian and Islamic studies and among the best globally, something that Sheikh Sultan’s support has been central to.
In November he was in Bahrain looking at a qanat water channel system in Hamad Town in the north of the country, and he is working with the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture to create the park on the site.
So, about a quarter of a century since his association with Bahrain began, Prof Insoll is continuing to reveal the archaeological secrets of the Gulf nation.
“It’s my second home. I’ve absolutely loved it. My daughter has been there since she was one year old. It’s such a long period of time,” he said.
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Results:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
