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'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎32v] (27/32)

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. .

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123. This second barrier blocked the entrance to the tomb itself at a
distance of thirty feet six inches from the first circular wall of h oc s.
124 On nearing this inner wall we found the passage on either side to be
n ' foTwi nml where the well welded barrier forbade access, the wall
rSeHide had two coats, one of rough and the other of smooth mortar.
The latter underlying the former, which still here bore the marks of the plas
terer's finger smears. The under-coat was of different material, and so smooth
and hard that we had to use our picks to remove it.
125. The transverse wall of cemented blocks had been built in after the
side-walls had been finished. We blew this out.
126 From the platform* on which these blocks were placed, a drop of three
* Regularly built of big flat stones feet six inches brought us to the smooth and mortared
cemented together. floor of the tomb; here we turned up, amongst the
stones and rubble masonry, a large amount of charcoal in such big pieces, that
I take it the roof must have been at one time supported by date tree trunks,
which have become charcoal from age and pressure. Some pieces of a thinner
character present the appearance of bamboo-matting charcoaled. I have kept
specimens of these things.
127. The mortar itself used in laying the blocks had a layer of damp (?)t
palm leaves laid as well above as below it in several
places; for we found thin layers of charcoal, which
could not well have been anything else in such positions.
128. On the right and left of the passage were two shelves on either side,
the lowest of which at any rate was carefully lined with mortar, but held nothing
but yellow dust, with which they were filled up. These were four feet long by
seven inches of aperture, by eight in depth, and a height of six feet nine from
the ground or platform. There is nothing to show to what use these can have
been put.
129. On descending from the platform (the end of the passage) the walls
carefully mortared still continued right and left for three feet two inches, and
then turned at right angles forming small mortuary chambers of the same
shape as those in the lesser tomb previously described.
130. No doubt, also, they have their counterparts at the other end of the
central passage, and in one of these no doubt also are to be found the remains of
e person entombed, as it was in the north eastern chamber of the small tomb
that I found the skeleton as previously related.
(hei^hf). SeVen feet three (len " th ) b y thre^ fee^t^iree^^e^adth)^ six
of rubble andTllen Uocts t^'sit walltf a n? b f k tLrOU S h P^s
than the gallery by which we had entered. &0me r feet broa(ler
133. I give a plan and section of all roughly correct.
partlffromtlStyastoJbe TilteffrnMrP 0 ^ ■ en0U ^ to work,
as to the safety of the work and navHv K ® t ]l clea 1 rm S out the tomb and
having could be obtained from under such n I 8 t,lat noth ing worth
which filled the inside passage h a CrUshln ° mass of rubbish as that
is every chimce ofthfZ^ ^op work, as there
the roof having probably fallen in, in the mbl/l' ot , hep i end ^mg clear of debris,
ese are likely enough left for a luckier m-m t, outwards towards this end.
136. To giveanidpanf rt a luc ^ man to explore without much trouble
- .. r

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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.

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'NOTES ON THE ISLANDS OF BAHRAIN AND ANTIQUITIES BY CAPTAIN E. L. DURAND, 1 ASSISTANT RESIDENT, PERSIAN GULF.' [‎32v] (27/32), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/18/B95, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023576719.0x00001d> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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