Archaeologists have discovered what is thought to be the first physical evidence of a Christian community in the Middle East.

Experts believe they have uncovered an eighth-century Christian palace under a cemetery in Samahij, Bahrain.

Wine glasses and needles for textiles thought to relate to worship rituals have also been found at the site, believed to be owned by the Bishop of the diocese.

Adorned with crosses and Christian symbols, the palace has eight rooms including a kitchen and a dining room.

Graffiti was also found scratched into the plaster that appears to be a Chi-Rho – which was the first two letters of the Greek Khristos Christ.

The Church of the East, or Nestorian Church is thought to have advanced in the region until Islam overtook it in the seventh century.

The ruins have been radiocarbon-dated to reveal they were inhabited 2,000 years ago and abandoned after the population converted to Islam.

The landmark findings represent the first evidence of Christian communities in Bahrain, and one of the oldest discovered Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf region.

According to researchers, the relationship between Meshmahig (the diocese) and the central church authorities was often troubled, with one bishop excommunicated in 410 and another condemned in the mid-7th century for disputing the unity of the Church.

“We were amused to find someone had also drawn part of a face on a pearl shell in bitumen, perhaps for a child who lived in the building,” Tim Insoll, the lead researcher at the University of Exeter said.

“This is the first physical evidence found of the Nestorian Church in Bahrain and gives a fascinating insight into how people lived, worked and worshiped.”

A museum preserving the site it in development and due to open in 2025.