Photo: Wohlert Arkitekter

Museum at Qal'at al-Bahrain 

A new museum has been opened at the Qal’at al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort) archaeological site. The site was recently nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The new museum’s purpose is to expose the site’s archaeological development from 2500BC to today.
The 2000 m2 museum is situated to the north of the site along the waterfront with paths leading to the site. It has been important that the building retained the scale of traditional regional buildings and is, in the same style, rather introvert.

Access is by way of an exterior courtyard with a café at the museum’s northern end and exhibition at the southern. The courtyard serves as a transition between the harsh sun outdoors and the subdued interior lighting.
 
The exhibition space is laid out around the dramatic central display, a 35 metres long recreation of the archaeological strata, in levels corresponding to archaeological sediments.
Photo: Wohlert Arkitekter

A transition through time

From the earliest Dilmon period exhibition on the lower level, the visitor progresses to the most recent Islamic period exhibition on the higher level through a succession of planes.

The museum is lit by daylight, both from a skylight reflecting the tell wall and through exhibition showcases that are lit from above through the light turrets that form the distinctive facade.

The floors, inside and out, are in Italian Santafiora sandstone and ceilings are in dark meranti wood. Administration, lecture hall and rooms for visiting archaeologists are placed around the courtyard of the low square building.

The construction was carried out in close cooperation between the Ministry of Information, the Danish Architects, Wohlert Arkitekter, and COWI’s Bahrain office.