The mounds at Hayr Shtayyah are part of something that is hard to grasp until you see it from above: the largest ancient burial landscape in the Gulf. Across the island of Bahrain, tens of thousands of low, rounded mounds, made of stone and sand, are scattered across the desert and in places, they stretch to the horizon. They were built mostly by the Dilmun civilisation, in the third and second millennia BC, when Bahrain was a rich trading hub between Mesopotamia and the Indus valley, and UNESCO has listed a selection of these burial grounds as World Heritage.
Dilmun was famous in Mesopotamian texts as a pure, blessed land, a place of eternal life. Its wealth came from copper, pearls and the sweet water springs that rose from under the seabed and watered the date groves. The mounds hold chambers of stone slabs where the dead were laid, often with pottery, jewellery and small items of daily life. Many were looted in antiquity, but some, like the royal mounds at A'ali, are huge and imposing. Excavation has shown that families of status used the larger mounds, while ordinary people were buried in smaller ones.
Roads in Bahrain are smooth and fast, with wide dual carriageways, many roundabouts and a heavy dose of speed cameras, and driving standards can be assertive. The island is small, so everything is close. Summer is very hot and humid, with temperatures above forty degrees, so go in the cooler months from November to March, early in the morning. Sandstorms can reduce visibility.
Fuel is easy to find and cheap by European standards, with stations on every main road, and workshops and cafes are plentiful. The King Fahd Causeway links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, and the Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir hosts Formula One. The Tree of Life, a lone mesquite tree growing in the desert, is another quirky stop. Carry water, wear a hat, and respect the sites by staying off the mounds. A glass of cardamom coffee and some dates are a fine way to finish the day.