Barbar Temple,
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Bahrain
Barbar TempleVisited: June 2001 More pictures of Barbar Temple:
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Bahrain contains some very old remains of temples and forts. One of those is Barbar Temple, which actually are remains of three different temples built one on top of the other. The oldest temple is thought to have been built around 3000 BCE. The temple is dedicated to Enki, the god of freshwater. Appropriately, the temple is built on a spring of water. The spring, the most holy place of the temple, could be approached using stairs.
When I went to visit the temple, I took a bus from Manama. Since I was not allowed to sit next to a woman, I had to stand most of the 20 minute ride because there was no free seat on the men's benches. After walking some ten minutes from the busstop, I arrived at an open space where, according to a sign, I could find the ruins. A man who was sleeping on a bed woke up, put up a cap and intruced himself as the guide to the complex. 
While he explained the functions of the different parts of the temple, I became increasingly aware of the meaning of the temple. I could imagine very well how important freshwater must have been 5000 years ago in the hot and dry climate of Bahrain. The more so, after walking another 25 minutes to the Tempe of Ad-Dhiraz and the well of Ein Umin Al Sojoor which actually contained water of very unhealthy colours. For me it was easy enough to buy an occasional bottle of water, but I felt admiration for the people who survived these conditions so many years ago.
