ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the commissioning of a new museum of Islamic Archaeology at the Al-Khamis mosque site in the Bilad al-Qadim area of Bahrain. The construction of this museum comes at an important time, not just for Bahraini identity, but also for Arab and Islamic identities internationally. These Islamic identities are often more complex than is at first assumed, and in the Gulf individual identities involve permutations of multiple variables: region, nationality, tribe, clan, religious sect, gender, profession, class, ethnicity and language. In Bahrain the situation is further complicated by people's perceptions of their historical and emotional links with the Arabian mainland and Iran. It is hoped that the construction of a new Museum of Islamic Archaeology at the Al-Khamis mosque will prove more engaging with the local community, although to a considerable extent its success will depend on how it is integrated into education and heritage programmes initiated by the local community and the Ministry of Culture.
