Manama: Bahrain's culture minister has condemned the use by rioters of 4,000 years old boulders taken from heritage sites to block roads.
"We are alarmed by this development and we are shocked that anyone would destroy their national heritage by abusing historical and archaeological sites for any reason whatsoever," Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al Khalifa said. "Bahrain's archeological sites are a national heritage with immense significance in identifying the island's history, traditions and values. Their preservation has been one of the key missions of the Ministry of Culture since its establishment in 2010," Shaikha Mai said.
Young people had cut inside the Dilmun era burial mounds in the village of A'ali in central Bahrain to take the boulders and use them to block roads during clashes with police.
MP Ahmad Al Saati, the lawmaker representing the area, condemned the act, saying that taking away the boulders would deprive the village of its historically significant reputation.
The Dilmun Burial Mounds were unearthed by a Danish team that stumbled during excavation work upon tumuli containing items that proved the existence of the mighty civilization around 2,000 years BC.
Frequently referred to as the pearl of the Gulf, Bahrain has a history of civilizations that date back more than 5,000 years.
Besides being the ancient site of the immortal land of Dilmun, Bahrain was a religious centre for ancient Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians at different times.
