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The Durand Stone is an artifact in Bahrain dating back to the Kassite period (1600 BC — 1155 BC). Named after Captain Edward Law Durand who had first identified it, the stone is a 25–30 cm wide and 70–80 cm long black basalt sculpture possibly in the shape of a prow of a boat or an animal's tongue, with a cuneiform inscription.[1]
The inscription, in Old Babylonian cuneiform script, was translated by Henry Rawlinson to read: "The palace of Rimum, servant of (the god) Inzak, (and) man of (the tribe of) Agarum".[1] Inzak, son of Enki, was a principal god of Bahrain, and the Durand Stone provides archaeological evidence for identifying these islands as 'the abode of the blessed' of Dilmun referred to by Sumerian literature.[2]
Originally housed in the "holy of holies" of the Madrasseh-i Daood mosque (now destroyed) in Bilad Al Qadeem,[1] it was spotted in 1878 by Captain Edward Law Durand (first-assistant resident to the Persian Gulf Residency), who tricked the mullahs into releasing it to him by telling them it was a fire-worshipper's stone and therefore unIslamic.[3] The stone itself, a diorite, is believed to originate from Oman or southeastern Iran.[1]
The contents of the inscription helped archaeologists conclude that Bahrain was the location of the Dilmun civilization.[4]
According to the records of Charles Belgrave, the Durand Stone was destroyed during the Second World War.[1] A replica of the Durand Stone lies in the Bahrain National Museum.[5]
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