Bahrain's archaeological history will be highlighted during a series of cultural events to mark International Museum Day.

Bahrain Fort and Bahrain National Museum have joined forces to offer a free programme of entertainment for the entire family.

It will start with a children's Enkiru Kids Club workshop at the fort in Karbabad.

Open to youngsters aged between seven and 10, it will run from 8am to noon from Sunday to Tuesday.

An exhibition and a tour of the museum, entitled 'Story of an Artefact' will be hosted at the fort at 6pm from Sunday until June 30.

Being hosted by French excavation site head Dr Pierre Lombard, it will tell the story of the ancient land of Dilmun.

The discovery of an inscribed shoe-like basalt object in 1879 in one of Bahrain's mosques generated debate about the country's history and the exhibition aims to unravel the stories linked to the find.

An oriental jazz will also be held on Sunday at the fort site at 8pm by instrumental band 13th Note.

Artist Roberto Lopardo will hold a talk and unveil copies of his new book daily from Wednesday to May 21 at the fort at 7pm.

Mapping Bahrain was put together via a project in which he took a photograph of the country every minute over a 24-hour period.

The Mohammed bin Faris Traditional Band will also perform at the fort at 8pm on Thursday and May 20.

Meanwhile, the museum will host a gallery talk by experienced archaeologists on Tuesday.

'Stories only the Archaeologists Can Tell' will be held at noon and aims to engage the audience with objects and stories about their discoveries.

Bahraini writer and director Mohammed Rashed Bu Ali will screen his short films Absence, The Good Omen, Canary and Under The Sky, followed by an open discussion on Thursday at 7pm.

He has written, directed and produced 10 short films and documentaries, the majority have been shown at international festivals.

They feature Bahraini culture and the relationship between modern day living and heritage.

Fort site museum director Nadine Boksmati said the events aimed to raise awareness about the importance of museums.

'I wanted to try and reach a wider audience and selected different events which involve the local community more,' she said.

'Qal'at Al Bahrain is very well known among the expatriate community, but the local community don't know about it as much, so by bringing in local bands such as 13th Note and the Mohammed bin Faris Traditional Band, we can involve them more.

'We always put emphasis on activities for children and the kids workshop will focus on the museum and Bahrain's heritage through educational games and story-telling.

'We aim to highlight the importance of heritage in a fun context and add to their curriculum they learn at school,' she said.

The events come as the Unesco World Heritage Committee cancelled plans to hold its annual meeting in Bahrain next month due to the recent unrest.

A daily bus service will operate between Bahrain National Museum and Bahrain Fort site museum at 9am, noon, 4pm and 6pm.-TradeArabia News Service