Bahrain counts almost 5000 years of history. Being the most significant and oldest public museum in Bahrain, the Bahrain National Museum is number two of the must-visit list after the House of Koran. Its story starts in 1957 when the Danish Archaeological Expedition exhibit at the Hidaya Boys School in Muharraq the archaeological artifacts from its excavations in Bahrain Fort. Danish architects Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen designed the building for the modern museum. In 2013 the museum celebrated its 25th anniversary by renovating the Hall of Dilmun Graves. These old burial hills date back to the golden age of the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations when people believed in eternal life after death in the paradise world of undiscovered Dilmun lands. The museum observes the historical Muharraq island - the next after Mesopotamian culture stage in the history of Bahrain. Muharraq's was once named Arwad. It also went back to the time of Dilmun some 5,000 years ago. Still, the name come to prominence in the historical records during the era of Tylos when Bahrain came under the domination of the Seleucid Greeks, and Muharraq was the center of a pagan cult dedicated to the shark god, Awal. The inhabitants, who depended upon seafaring and trade, worshipped Awal in the form of a giant statue of a shark located in the town. By the 5th century AD, Muharraq had become a significant center of Nestorian Christianity, which had come to dominate the southern shores of the Persian Gulf. As a sect, the Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire, but Bahrain was outside the Empire's control, offering safety. The names of several of Muharraq's villages today reflect this Christian legacy, with Al-Dair meaning 'the monastery' and Qalali meaning a 'monk's cloisters.' The museum is open from 10 am to 6 pm, except on Tuesdays. The museum also offers regular daytime boat trips to the Bu Maher Fort on Muharraq island, a part of the Bahrain Pearling Trail. Photo Simplified Pixabay License