Archaeologists discover long-lost Christian ‘palace’ in Middle East, shedding new light on history of religion before Islam

Archaeologists have discovered the first physical evidence of a ‘long-lost’ Christian community in the Middle East.

They discovered what they believe was a palace belonging to the bishop. The palace dates back to the mid-8th century and was decorated with crosses and Christian symbols.

The team found glassware used for drinking wine, a custom that was discontinued after the introduction of Islam, and textiles that may have been used during religious rituals.

The Church of the East, also called the Nestorian Church, flourished in the area until the Islamic religion began to spread widely in the early 7th century, causing the local population to leave the area.

These findings are significant because it is the first time that archaeologists have found evidence of Christian communities in Bahrain.

A building that could have been the palace of the bishop of the diocese dating from the mid-8th century was discovered under a cemetery, one of the earliest Christian buildings in the Gulf region. The bishop’s palace had eight rooms intact, including a kitchen with several fireplaces, a dining room, a possible study and three living rooms

Researchers discovered three plaster crosses (one in the photo) hanging inside the building

The building was discovered beneath a cemetery in Samahij, Bahrain, an island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Carbon dating has shown that the structure was inhabited by humans 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest Christian structures in the Arabian Gulf region.

The bishop’s palace consisted of eight intact rooms, including a kitchen with several fireplaces, a dining room, a possible study and three living rooms.

The implications [of the discovery] “They are important because we do have documentary evidence that points to the Christian community in Bahrain, but until the excavation of this building there was no material evidence of that,” lead researcher and professor at the University of Exeter, Tim Insoll, told DailyMail.com.

The Christian identity of the occupant was confirmed by three plaster crosses found in the building. Two of these served to decorate the building and one was carried or kept as a personal memento.

Graffiti was also scratched into the plaster of a Chi-Rho (the first two letters of the Greek word Christos Christ) and a fish, both of which were early Christian symbols.

“We thought it was funny to see that someone had also drawn part of a face on a mother-of-pearl shell in bitumen, perhaps for a child who lived in the building,” Insoll said in a press release.

Based on the artifacts found at the site, the archaeologists reported that members of the Christian community had a “good standard of living.” The finds of carnelian semi-precious stone beads and pottery shards originating from India also indicated that the two countries traded with each other.

British and Bahraini researchers excavated a mound in the village cemetery between 2019 and 2023 and reported that the chambers were preserved because a mosque was later built on top of them, preserving the structure for the past 2,000 years.

There was graffiti scratched into the plaster of a Chi-Rho, which were the first two letters of the Greek Christos Christus, and a fish, both early Christian symbols

The building in Samahij “is the first physical evidence found of the Nestorian Church in Bahrain and offers a fascinating insight into how people lived, worked and practiced their faith,” Insoll said.

He said the discovery “fills a gap in our understanding of Christianity in the Persian Gulf, because it has always been surprising that Bahrain, given the historical importance of Christianity in late antiquity and the early Islamic period, has never had archaeological evidence of it. This is in contrast to finds in places like Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, which were not historically important.”

Today the Arabian Gulf region is largely Muslim, but before the “large-scale conversion to Islam” began in 610 BCE, the Church of the East flourished.

British and Bahraini researchers excavated a mound in the village cemetery between 2019 and 2023, reporting that the chambers were preserved because a mosque was later built on top of them, preserving the structure for the past 2,000 years.

The local Muslim community in Samahij had previously said that “there was a mound under a destroyed mosque/shrine in their cemetery, which they said contained something important,” Insoll said.

‘Nobody listened, but eventually, when it was taken seriously, they were right and the building was found.’