There are more than 100,000 Dilmun-era burial mounds scattered across Bahrain, but none come close to the magnificence of these. That A'Ali was an important place in antiquity is evident from the 17 royal mounds constructed nearly 4000 years ago, the most impressive of which is royal mound 8. At 12m high and 50m across, and housing five separate chambers, it still commands the regal awe it originally inspired.

　　Visit in the late afternoon when it is cool enough to wander around the neighbouring streets and see how many more of the royal mounds you can find. This isn't that difficult – the gigantic cone-shaped mounds of earth are everywhere!