Manama, Feb. 13 (BNA): Bahrain and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding that allows expanding the scope of work of the Japanese excavation mission in the Kingdom and conducting in-depth studies of Bahraini antiquities.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) and Japanese institutions at the Bahrain National Museum during a meeting on archaeological cooperation between Bahrain and Japan.
The President of the Academy, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, highlighted the importance of cultural cooperation between Bahrain and Japan, especially in the field of antiquities, and thanked the ambassador for his continued support for the cultural movement in the Kingdom.
He expressed his happiness at expanding cooperation between the two countries, which began more than 30 years ago, and signing new memorandums of understanding.
He pointed out that this would enhance work between Bahraini and Japanese institutions in the scientific field and preserve discoveries in archaeological sites.
The Ambassador of Japan to Bahrain, Miyamoto Masayuki, thanked the Bahrain Authority for Archaeological Culture for the efforts made to build bridges of communication between Japan and Bahrain, and stressed that the meeting reflects the cooperation between the two countries in the field of archaeological excavations.
He said that Japanese antiquities experts have worked for years to uncover the features of the Dilmun civilization, which is centered in Bahrain and is considered one of the most important civilizations in the region.
He expressed his happiness with the participation of the Japanese archaeological mission in the excavations in the Kingdom.
The first agreement between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and the Tokyo National Institute for Cultural Property Research to conduct archaeological studies and excavations in the Wadi Al-Sail tomb hills in Riffa for a period of five years.
The second agreement with the Museum and Archaeological Institute in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture will facilitate archaeological studies and excavations at the Taylos burial mounds in Maqabah.
The third agreement was signed with Kanazawa University to document archaeological sites in Bahrain and conduct studies on many artifacts in the Bahrain National Museum.
The Japanese excavation team gave a lecture on the mission of excavation projects in Bahrain.
Ayanao Yamada talked about the history of the excavations carried out by the Japanese team in Bahrain. While Masashi Abe dealt with the excavation project in the Valley of the Torrent.
As for Akinori Yosugi, he spoke about the project of mapping Dilmun, documenting and analyzing the landscape of the early Dilmun burial mounds.
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