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6. Search for Dilmun


For the Sumerians, Dilmun was not only a mysterious island described in old myths, which was settled by the religious Sumerian king Ziusudra after the disastrous flood, or the island from which their ancestors sailed across the present Persian Gulf once long ago after the flood, inhabiting southern Mesopatamia. Dilmunreally existed according to the administrative and economic data of that time and actively traded with Mesopotamia. Yet other countries in the overseas trading with Sumer have been reported in connection with Dilmun - Magan a Meluha Dilmun (sometimes also called Tilmun) was functioning as a major hub of overseas trade from the late 4th millennium B.C. to the 7th century B.C., as suggested by Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian records in cuneiform writing. None of the hitherto studied Mesopotamian cuneiform records was found to contain a precise position of this mysterious island.

Dilmun is usually identified with the island of Bahrain591 km2 in area, located in the Persian Gulf.. The island is of very low relief, with the highest elevation point Jebel Dukhan (smoke mount) lying 137 m above the sea. There are no rivers on the island. Drinking water is obtained from artesian wells on the northern end of the island or by desalination. A large part of the island is covered by a desert on limestone bedrock. The climate on the island is dry, tropical, with only 50-100 mm of annual precipitations. If the latest knowledge of Dilmun is summoned, the following conclusion can be made. Bahrain is not the island of Dilmun described by the Sumerians because:

  1. Bahrain does not fit the description of Dilmun in the Sumerian mythological texts, as given in Table 11 on p. 93 A) (an island in monsoon region where the sun rises, irrigation agriculture with canals and dykes, large rivers, mountains on the island, forests suitable for timber production, large area of the island, many animals, ore mining etc.);

  2. Bahrain does not fit the description of Dilmun (Atlantis) in the Critias and Timaeus dialogues, as shown in Table 12 on p. 94A) (an island in monsoon region, irrigation agriculture with canals and dykes, large rivers, mountains on the island, forests suitable for timber production, large area of the island, many animals, ore mining, elephants etc.);

  3. Considerable amounts of goods coming from Dilmun were exported by merchants from Dilmun into Mesopotamia from as early as the 3rd millennium B.C., as stated in the Sumerian administrative records - see Table 15 on p. 98 A) (lazurite, cedar trees, ivory products and ivory, corals, gold, copper). These goods were, however, never found on Bahrain.

  4. The first reliably documented Sumerian records of the trade with Dilmun date to the early dynastic period. Around 2500 B.C., Dilmun is first referred to as a supplier of wood, by Urnanshe, King of Lagash. 151) His successors Lugalanda and Uruinimgina, monarchs of the Lagash dynasty in 2358-2342 B.C., mentioned import of copper ore from Dilmun and export of wool, cloths, silver, fat and resin. In contrast, a developed municipal civilisation on Bahrain performing overseas trade was established not sooner than after 2200 B.C.

  5. Genetic studies performed by Dr. Hussain Mohammed Hussain confirmed that the establishment of a developed municipal civilisation in Bahrain should be put into connection with immigration waves of the Indus Valley Civilisation population to Bahrain at 2000-1600 B.C. Dr. Hussain studied genetic changes causing Thalassaemia and Fathalassaemia. As evidenced by his studies, the so-called "Dilmun genes" responsible for Thalassaemia are present particularly with the population living in the area stretching from Kuwait across the eastern Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, and in India. Occurrences of this mutation are very rare outside these areas, with the exception of the Mediterranean. According to Hussain, groups of colonists from the Indus Valley Civilisation bearing genetic mutations could have settled in Bahrain during two immigration waves in 2000-1800 B.C. and 1800-1500 B.C. The history of the transfer of genes is in line with the period of the fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation..149) The influx of settlers from India corresponds well with the period of the so-called "early Bahrain" (2200-1600 B.C.),148) marked by the mere origins of a developed municipal sepulchral-mound civilisation controlling overseas trade among Mesopotamia, India, Oman and southeastern Africa. This has been also confirmed by archaeological finds of artefacts of the Indus Valley origin on Bahrain. A higher density of population on Bahrain and its possible expansion to the coast of Kuwait across eastern Saudi Arabia could have occurred only after the year 2000 B.C. Sumerians moved to their new homeland in southern Mesopotamia some time during the Uruk period (3500-3200 B.C.), which is also evidenced by the analysis of heroic Sumerian mythology made by S.N. Kramer. Nevertheless, Bahrain of that time lacked any organized society which would be able to penetrate to southern Mesopotamia, partly assimilate here or pacify the original proto-Euphrates population by military force.

In their search for Dilmun, some scientists refer to the inscriptions of Sargon II, the king of Assyria, of 721-705 B.C. In one of his inscriptions, Sargon II proclaimed that he was paid taxes, among others, also by Uperi, the king of Dilmun, whose dwelling lies in the middle of the sea, where the sun rises, at a distance of thirty double-hours. According to other inscriptions, Sargon II controlled the area as far as to the coast of the "Salty Sea", the boundary of Dilmun. Based on the inscriptions of Sargon, the existence of Dilmus is sometimes placed to Bahrain, because Bahrain lies approximately thirty double-hours from the Persian Gulf coast (double hour = 10,8 km). This opinion is probably erroneous. Sargon II. Sargon II, much like Sargon of Akkad, wanted to conquer the whole world including Dilmun. Most probably, Sargon II did not know about the location of Dilmun already. Therefore, he based his description of Dilmun on the Epic of Gilgamesh: according to 11th tablet of this epos, Gilgamesh sailed from Dilmun to Uruk after he got eaten the plant of life by a snake; the second part of this journey lasted precisely thirty double-hours. This conclusion is confirmed by another inscription in which Sargon II mentioned the salty sea as the boundary of Dilmun. On his way to Utnapishtim, who lived on Dilmun, Gilgamesh had to get across the so-called "death waters". Although Sargon II used the term "Salty Sea" for the "Death Waters" (probably from a different version of the Epic of Gilgamesh than the one found in the library of the Late Assyrian king Ashurbanipal), the name "Salty Sea" also applies to the "Dead Sea" in Hebrew, for example. An explanation can be accepted that the term "Death Waters" used in the Sumerian myth on Gilgamesh for a part of a sea, refers to the high-salinity part of the sea around the island of Dilmun. In addition, another part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Late Babylonian version from Uruk (Table 4, line 10 to 14), states that Gilgamesh and Enkidu made the distance of 150 double-hours within three days. This corresponded (probably for an ordinary mortal) to a journey one month and fifteen days long, i.e., lasting some 45 days. An ordinary mortal would be then able to make a journey only slightly longer than 3.3 double-hours within one day. The distance of thirty double-hours would imply a journey at least 9 days long. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, however, the journey from Dilmun to Uruk lasted 60 double-hours, which would correspond to at least 18 days on the sea. Using a Sumerian reed boat, 18 days of sailing should be sufficient - at favourable weather conditions - for passing from the mouth of Euphrates and Tigris rivers as far as to the mouth of the Indus River.

All the above given facts contradict the localization of Dilmun to Bahrain. Instead, they suggest that the original homeland of the Sumerians was lying farther east in India. In the area of the former The Indus Valley Civilisation (see Map No. 7 on p. 103 A)).