The 1983-opened Al-Ahsa Archaeological and Heritage Museum is home to priceless artifacts from the city's long and illustrious past as well as other treasures. From the Stone Age to the Dilmun period to the Babylonian and Assyrian ages, each room is devoted to a distinct era and the civilizations that flourished during that time.
The museum not only displays historical artifacts but is also in charge of any necessary repair work as well as hosting frequent talks. More than 1,400 antiques, as well as images, coins, manuscripts, and other materials, are kept in the museum.
The first room that guests enter is filled with 5000 BCE Stone Age artifacts. You can learn about the history of the region's geology, which dates back millions of years, as well as the region's and the wider Arabian Gulf's importance in trade and agriculture. The space also showcases artifacts and tools from Al-Dosriyah and Ain Qannas that demonstrate the impact the region had on adjacent societies during the Mesolithic, Paleolithic, and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age.
The courtyards of the museum depict early life in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom, including the fauna and flora of the desert region surrounding Al-Ahsa. Here you may see early versions of some of the vessels and equipment that fisherman and pearl divers in the Gulf used. A history of camel herders in the Gulf (about 1700 BCE) and towns on the eastern Arabian Peninsula may be found in the region devoted to the Dilmun civilization, which peaked in the third millennium BCE and lasted until roughly 500 BCE.
Along with examples of the languages spoken in the eastern portion of the Arabian Peninsula before the arrival of Islam, the museum also displays maps of trade routes (both sea and land) in the region as well as information on Islamic calligraphy and writing. Visitors can also discover how the Sasanian Empire, the final kingdom to exist before the advent of Islam and a major power for more than 400 years, brought together Arab tribes.
A chamber with three sections at the museum contains a map of the Eastern Province's archaeological monuments, a painting of the Al-Ahsa museum, and a third painting depicting the rise of contemporary Saudi Arabia. Along with old photographs of Al-Ahsa from the 1930s and 1940s, there are also pictures of King Abdul Aziz launching various projects in the Eastern Province on display.
Duration RequiredAl Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
4.5
