Al Khor Island

Al Khor Island
جزيرة الخور
Al Khor Island is located in Qatar
Al Khor Island
Shown within Qatar
Alternative nameJazirat bin Ghanim
Khor Ile
Purple Island
LocationNortheast Qatar
Coordinates25°41′34″N 51°32′56″E / 25.69278°N 51.54889°E / 25.69278; 51.54889
TypeSettlement
Area1.67 km2
History
PeriodsNeolithic period
Bronze Age
CulturesDilmun
Kassites
Site notes
Excavation dates1976
ArchaeologistsJacques Tixier
Hillock on northern end of Al Khor Island.
Excavation of the Kassite dye site on Al Khor Island.
Dirt path in Al Khor Island.
Vegetation in Al Khor Island.

Al Khor Island (Arabic: جزيرة الخور), also known as Jazirat bin Ghanim or Purple Island, is an island located in the municipality of Al Khor on the northeast coast of Qatar. It accommodates the only archaeological site in the country attributable to the second millennium BC.[1] There are four main periods of occupation on the island, dating from as early as c. 2000 BC to as late as 1900 AD. The island is best known for being the site of operation of a Kassite-controlled purple dye industry in the second millennium BC.[2]

It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country due to its lush mangrove forest and diverse landscape and ecology.[3]

  1. ^ Casey, Paula; Vine, Peter (1991). The heritage of Qatar (print ed.). Immel Publishing. p. 15. ISBN 978-0907151500.
  2. ^ Carter, Robert Jr.; Killick, Robert (2014). Al-Khor Island: Investigating Coastal Exploitation in Bronze Age Qatar (PDF). Moonrise Press Ltd. p. 40. ISBN 978-1910169001.
  3. ^ "Purple Island". Visit Qatar. Retrieved 21 November 2024.