The town is believed to have been one of the earliest settlements on the island of Bahrain. The area was a traditional area of rich agriculture and learning, with multiple
date farms, orchards and gardens in the town's vicinity. In the 1600s, the visiting Portuguese explorer
Pedro Teixeira noted that the town cultivated an extensive amount of
wheat and
barley.
20th century In
J. G. Lorimer's
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, the town was described as a large scattered village with some 350 mud houses and ruins in 1908. The village had several quarters including Bilad-ar-Rafi () to the west, and the
Khamis souq () to the northwest where a weekly market was held year long. The ruins of the Madrasah Abu Zaidan (likely the
Khamis Mosque) are situated 0.5 mile west of the village. The
Abu Zaidan spring was also reported to be located amongst the ruins of the village. The population of Bilad al Qadeem in 1908 consisted of the
Baharna, many of whom worked as
pearl merchants, tailors and farmers. Amongst crops grown were
date palms (estimated number of 11,500),
figs,
pomegranates,
roses,
jasmines, and
almonds. ==Notable sites==