Dilmun

Ancient Arabian civilization

Dilmun, or Telmun,^[3] (Sumerian: [](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Dilmun#/media/File:Dilmun_%28early_Sumerian_pictograph%29.jpg),^[4][5] later 𒉌𒌇(𒆠), NI.TUK^ki = dilmun^ki; Arabic: دلمون) was an ancient East Semitic–speaking civilization in Eastern Arabia mentioned from the 3rd millennium BC onwards, covering the transition from Prehistoric Arabia into the historic period.^[6][7] Based on contextual evidence, it was located in the Persian Gulf, on a trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilisation, close to the sea and to artesian springs.^[1][8] Dilmun encompassed Bahrain,^[9] Kuwait,^{[10][11][12][13}] and eastern Saudi Arabia.^[14]