Polish archaeologists uncover oldest temple in Persian Gulf region

Other places of worship found in the area were erected at least 2,500 years later.

The discovery was made at a pre-historic settlement dating back to 6,000 BC, located at northern Kuwait’s Al-Subijah desert.

The temple was found among numerous houses stretching for 200 metres.

The group uncovered the remains of an ash-filled hearth, excavation manager Professor Piotr Bieliński from the Center of Mediterranean Archeology at the University of Warsaw told PAP.

Bieliński said the temple displayed the influences of the Ubaid culture of ancient Mesopotamia.

Bieliński added: “The newly discovered building is very similar to another site known by archaeologists as the Eridu temple, situated in southern Mesopotamia,” where the Ubaid culture was widespread, PAP reported.

In another finding, the team unearthed the fragments of a square -- an Ubaid site unlike any found in Mesopotamia -- located at the heart of the early settlement.

(aba)

Source: PAP