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Archaeologists discover long-lost Christian 'palace' in the Middle East which sheds new light on religion's history before Islam
Archaeologists have uncovered the first physical evidence of a 'long-lost' Christian community in the Middle East.
They have discovered what they believe was a palace belonging to the Bishop dating back to the mid-8th century that was adorned with crosses and Christian symbols.
The team recovered glassware used to drink wine - a practice that ended after the adoption of Islam - and textiles that might have been used during religious rituals.
The Church of the East, also called the Nestorian Church, thrived in the area until the Islam religion became widespread in the early 7th century, prompting locals to abandon the area.
These findings are significant because it marks the first time archaeologists have uncovered evidence of Christian communities in Bahrain.
A building that could have been the palace of the Bishop of the diocese dating back to the mid-8th century was discovered under a cemetery, representing one of the earliest Christian buildings in the Gulf region. The Bishop's palace had eight rooms intact including a kitchen with several fireplaces, a dining room, a possible work room and three living rooms
Researchers uncovered three plaster crosses (one pictured) that were hung in the building
The building was discovered under a cemetery in Samahij, Bahrain, an island country that sits off the coast of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Radiocarbon dating revealed that people had occupied the structure 2,000 years ago, representing one of the earliest Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf region.
The Bishop's palace had eight rooms intact including a kitchen with several fireplaces, a dining room, a possible work room and three living rooms.
'The implications [of the discovery] are significant as we have documentary evidence referring to the Christian community in Bahrain but lacked any material proof for it until this building was excavated,' Tim Insoll, the lead researcher and professor at the University of Exeter told DailyMail.com.
The inhabitant's Christian identity was confirmed by three plaster crosses found within the structure - two were used to decorate the building and one was carried or kept as a personal memento.
There was also graffiti scratched into the plaster of a Chi-Rho which was the first two letters of the Greek Khristos Christ and a fish, both of which were early Christian symbols.
'We were amused to find someone had also drawn part of a face on a pearl shell in bitumen, perhaps for a child who lived in the building,' Insoll said in a press release.
Based on the artifacts found at the site, the archaeologists reported that those living in the Christian community had 'a good standard of living,' and the discoveries of carnelian semiprecious stone beads and pottery shards that originated in India suggested the two countries traded with each other.
British and Bahrainian researchers excavated a mound at the village cemetery from 2019 to 2023 and reported that the rooms survived because a mosque was later built on top of it, preserving the structure for the last 2,000 years
There was graffiti scratched into the plaster of a Chi-Rho which was the first two letters of the Greek Khristos Christ and a fish, both of which were early Christian symbols
The building in Samahij 'is the first physical evidence found of the Nestorian Church in Bahrain and gives a fascinating insight into how people lived, worked and worshiped,' Insoll said.
He said the discovery 'fills in a gap in our understanding of wider Christianity in the Persian Gulf as it was always very surprising that Bahrain, considering its historical importance in late antiquity and the early Islamic period, never had any archaeological indications of this, in contrast to finds in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, for example, which historically, were not so important.'
The Arabian Gulf region is largely Islamic today, but before the 'large-scale conversion to Islam began' in 610 BC, the Church of the East thrived.
British and Bahraini researchers excavated a mound at the village cemetery from 2019 to 2023 and reported that the rooms survived because a mosque was later built on top of it, preserving the structure for the last 2,000 years.
The local Muslim community in Samahij had previously said 'they had a mound under a ruined mosque/shrine in their cemetery, which they said contained something important,' Insoll said.
'No one listened, but eventually, when it was taken seriously, they were right, and the building was found.'