BARBARIC TEMPLE

While the ancient city of Qal 'at Al Bahrain was the political capital of Dilmun, the Barbar temples seem to have been the spiritual and religious center of this civilization. The site consists of three archeological strata, the most recent temple covering the oldest. They were built between 2100 and 1900 B.C. The honored god in this temple would have been Enki, the god of freshwater (the word to designate freshwater in Suterian also means "seed"), which created a lush garden in Dilmun, echoing the biblical land paradise. Enki also warns the Mesopotamian Noah that the gods prepare the flood to exterminate humanity, which Enki himself created. It is therefore a major god of the mythology of the region and many archeological evidence attests to the importance given to its worship. Objects and a source of fresh water that is believed sacred to the inhabitants of Dilmun were found on the site. Today, there are only the foundations of temples, and we can still admire the architectural structure of the whole, with its inner courtyard, its sanctuaries and the sacred point of water.