A particular port of call on the maritime Silk Road: the warehouse of Qalat al Bahrain

The Bahrain fortress was built close to the seashore around the 3^rd century AD, presumably by Persian Sasanian kings. Islamic coins bearing the symbol of a member of the Salgharid family have revealed that it was reused and transformed during the 13^th century. In the 14^th century, a new fortress was built by the Kings of Ormus and restored by the Portuguese in the late 15^th century. In the Qalat al Bahrain, Chinese coins from the Tang and Song dynasties and ceramics from various origins were found. It was obviously an important port of call on the maritime Silk Road where taxes and merchant goods were collected. Merchandise exported from Bahrain included pearls and date-honey produced in the fortress.