!['NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎30v] (23/32)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x00011e/IOR_L_PS_18_B95_0024.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎30v] (23/32)")
'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [30v] (23/32)
The record is made up of 1 file (14 folios). It was created in Aug 1879. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
laminated bones. These came out of the south-western chamber, but with
them there was no skull or recognizably human bones.
107 Here and there scattered amongst the dust throughout the tomb were
nieces of'what appeared to me to have been once ivory or wood : these were found
on sifting the baskets of dust which came out when the tomb was being laid
bare to the stones of the foundation.
108. I have retained specimens of all these things by me, in case they
should turn out to be of any interest.
109. The only thing that at all struck me after examination of the tomb
was the scattering of the bones and the breakage of crockery. Could the
animal or animals, whatever they were, have been inhumed alive when the
burrow was closed up ?
110. April Qth, 1879.—I can now give some account of the
mounds that I have been engaged upon since I wrote the above.
larger
111. In the first place I chose the most perfect looking of the large tumuli,
Its present height is about 45 feet, circumference 200 paces, and the circular
mound around it 330 paces, 20 paces of level ground separate this latter circle
from the base of the mound, a line of wall joins the outer circle to the base
of the mound. I cannot from it explain the plan of the large mound near the
top of which I found the gallery. The two must be essentially different.
112. After losing a day or two in making pickaxes* in the bazaar, which
* There are only two agricultural tools known in tools Were necessary to Cut away the hard
the island, the iron crow bar with one end chisel amalgam of earth and flint, which had be-
shaped, and a single handed mud scraper. n i - iiij , > ,
^ come very firmly welded together, we began
work, and began at the top and centre to see if by working there we could
disclose anything.
113. The shape of
the mound in its then
state, I give roughly in
the margin.
114. I made use of
my detachment of the
21st Kative Infantry
working them in relays
of a few men for a few
hours, keeping them out
in camp and of mischief.
A cheerier more willing
lot of men, especially
when sheep were forth
coming I never saw.
They worked and joked,
and had not an hour's
sickness amongst them
during the whole time
we were out. Had it not
kindness of Cantain PrWlp nf tit • ^ « teen, however, for the
himself in the work and smlrw nL Jes f: y 3 who interested
Sh^
carry away small b ' askets f^of^th broS bythe pfekr^ barely ^ t0
About this item
- Content
Letter No. 164 from Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Charles Ross, Her British Majesty's Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to Alfred Comyn Lyall, Secretary to the Government of India, Foreign Department, 1 May 1879, enclosing notes on the islands of Bahrain and Antiquities, written by Edward Law Durand, and commenting that some of the antiquities described had not been documented before and were of interest to the British Museum who were funding further research and excavation.
The notes are broken down into the following headings:
Bahrain
- Descriptive: describing the physical geography of the islands and their surrounding waters, the longitude and latitude and navigable access by sea;
- Trade: describing the pearl and date trades, and ways in which trade and harbour access might be improved;
- Interior of the Islands: describing geographical features inland;
- Water: describing the locations of fresh springs across the island and also the availability of salt;
- Trees and Plants; describing the flora and fauna of the islands;
- Animals: tame animals including horses, donkeys, camels and cows
- Wild animals: including gazelle, mongoose and hares.
Antiquities
- Antiquarian: giving an account of the earliest known history of the islands, including their rulership by the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Arabs and Portuguese, before describing the antiquities to be found on the islands.
The notes describe the antiquities visited by Captain Durand during trips to Bahrain, including all the mosques on the islands; an old stone water well found in a date grove near Bilad-i-Kadim [Bilad al Qadeem]; a number of mounds at Ali [Aali] which were determined to be temples or tombs, which Durand speculates may have been the great Phoenician cemetery of Gerrha and which he spent several days exploring and excavating.
The notes include illustrations (folios 29, 30, 33 and 35) to accompany the report, which were lithographed A lithograph is an image reproduced from a printing plate whose image areas attract ink and non-image areas repel it. from originals supplied by the Foreign Department of the Government of India.
The notes also included two maps which have since been removed and are kept in the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Maps Collection (IOR/W/L/PS/18/B95).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (14 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 25, and terminates at folio 38, since it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. These numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [30v] (23/32), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B95, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023576719.0x000019> [accessed 19 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023576719.0x000019
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023576719.0x000019">'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎30v] (23/32)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023576719.0x000019"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x00011e/IOR_L_PS_18_B95_0024.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000833.0x00011e/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B95
- Title
- 'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.'
- Pages
- front, 20r:34v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence