Bahrain, a group of 33 islands is situated in the Arabian Gulf.

Bahrain is rich in history and the remains of ancient civilizations have only recently been uncovered by international archaeologists. It is believed that for tens of thousands of years, nomads traveled over Bahrain's desert and primitive flint tools that have been found, testify to this history.

Recent finds have indicated that Bahrain was indeed the site of the lost civilization of Dilmun, dating from the third millennium BC, which is often refered to as fabled Garden of Eden and is described as "paradise" in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The land is repeatedly mentioned in Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions as an important seaport between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, due to the perennial abundance of sweet water. By 600BC, Bahrain was absorbed into the new Babylonian Empire. In 323BC, two of Alexander the Great's ships arrived and new trade routes opened, resulting in such a strong Greek influence that Dilmun was renamed Tylos.

Bahrain is also the site of largest prehistoric cemetery in the world. At one stage an estimated 170,000 burial mounds covered the central and western areas.

For more information: http://www.bahraintourism.com