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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. |
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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.
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]
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. 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]).
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. 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).
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. 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.
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| [1]
P.
Sanlaville and R. Paskoff, "Shoreline Changes in Bahrain Since |
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This
project was made possible by the generosity of the Institute of Nautical
Archaeology We
particularly thank Abulaziz Soweileh, superintendent of
archaeology We are most grateful to them all. |
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| Citation Information
Ralph K. Pedersen |
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| ©Ralph K. Pedersen & Institute of Nautical Archaeology, 1993, 2003 |
Updated: 05/05/2003 |
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