Location of land of Dilmun

The article is about the quest to locate the land of Dilmun of ancient Mesopotamian legend and records.
Dilmun features in a creation myth involving the god Enki.
Dilmun is a land in the Epic of Gilgamesh which Ziusudra/Utnapishtim the Sumerian/Akkadian Noah was translated to after the Flood/Deluge, and which the hero Gilgamesh travelled over land and sea to visit him at. Fasold thought this Dilmun was in the Ararat/Armenia area.
Some sources say the Sumerians came from Dilmun.
Dilmun, Magan, and Meluhha are also lands which the Sumerians & Akkadians traded with or through by way of the Persian Gulf.
In late ancient times Magan and Meluhha were used for Egypt and Ethiopia.
In the conventionl view Dilmun of Sumerian and Akkadian legend and records is most likely in the borders of the Indian Ocean / Arabian Sea / Red Sea / Persia Gulf somewhere between Mesopotamia and India, or else between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Dilmun is asserted by "conventional consensus experts" to be Bahrein in the Persian Gulf, and Meluhha is asserted to be India or the Indus Valley. However, I majorly dispute these 2 identifications. Another thing I dispute is the narrow mindset that ancient civilisations like Mesopotamia and Egypt only had limited distance regional contacts. I think/feel that ancients had far greater distance contacts than modern skeptics believe, and that we should have a more wide open-minded global view of ancient history and geography. In this article we look at possible alternative candidates for Dilmun (and Magan, and Meluhha) both near and far from Mesopotamia.
I have not yet gone through the candidates and narrowed down which are the most and least likely candidates. But let no one accuse us of "indiscriminately" listing candidates, because we have reasons for each candidate and we know for plenty whether they are more or less likely. (From over ten years experiences I know our critics/rivals/opponents/enemies are always using this and other cunningly lying tactics to falsely discredit us or steal our connections/credit.)
Please note that in this article Atlantis and Peru are the same in my mind. See my Atlantis ebook i which I show that Tiahuanaco certainly matches Atlantis capital city. The biblical Tarshish might also be the same place too.
Also note that we use interchanges or transpositions or prefixes or omissions/dropping with some candidate name matches.

Dilmun is doubted as being Bahrein because:
- Gilgamesh went north (north wind bit into his face).
- Dilmun was in the east/sunrise. Bahrein is not really east of Mesopotamian, though it is south-east.
- Gilgamesh went down into the forest, but one can't go down at sea level in the Bahrein area?
- Dilmun couldn't have been in the Persian Gulf at the time the sea level was lower, because the Gulf would have been land.
- Dilmun was at the mouth (or source) of the rivers. Bahrein is a long way from the mouth of the Euphrates & Tigris. It was even further before the alluvium etended the shore/coast further south. (Nor could one say that it was near the mouth of the rivers when the sea level was lower and the Gulf was land, because the rivers meet each other much further north.)
- Gilgamesh wandered the steppes. Kur Dilmun could mean Mount Dilmun. There are no mountains or steppes in the Bahrein area.
- It seems maybe abit odd that there was both an Akharru "behind/hind" in Syria-Palestine (west side of Arabia), and an Agaru/Akarum in the Kuwait/Bahrein area (east side of Arabia)?
- Dilmun had a great fortified place of the gods, but there doesn't seem to be any such remains in the Bahrein area? (Source says only 172000 graves, and local population, and numbers of Bronze Age settlements, and ruins under the Gulf.)
- Gilgamesh visited Ziusudra/Utnapishtim the "Sumerian/Akkadian Noah". Noah in the Bible was in the Ararat area and not in the Bahrein area.
- Gilgamesh travelled the Harran ilu Shamash "road of the sun". This might mean east or west or by way of Haran/Harran. Bahrein is not really east of Mesopotamian, nor is it west, nor is it anywhere near Haran.
- "As of 2021, archaeologists have failed to find a site in existence during the time from 3300 BC (Uruk IV) to 556 BC (Neo-Babylonian Era), when Dilmun appears in texts. According to Hojlund, no settlements exist in the Gulf littoral dating to 3300–2000 BC."
- Dilmun was a "land". Bahrain is only a small island.
- Dilmun was beyond the sea. Bahrain is in the Persian Gulf.

Dilmun details from the various ancient sources:
- Names:
(Kur) Dilmun/Dilman/Tilmun/Telmun(-na/ki) ("mount") "land of missles" ("city/land").
Pu-land (alternative reading/name for Dilmun).
Ni-duk-ki/Ni-tuk-ki / I-tuk-ki / Iatu/Ia-tuk-ki / Iau-tuk-ki/Itu-land-ka "land mouth" (alternative reading/name for Dilmun).
Dur-mah-ilani "great fortified place of the gods" (in the land of Dilmun).
Agaru/Akarum (the region west of Dilmun or of Bahrein)?
"Land of the Living" (another name used for it)?
- Location details/directions:
"faraway/distant"?
a foreign land, in the east/sunrise.
place where Shamash/Sun rises.
"30 parasangs/double-hours or 40 leagues away in the midst of the sea of the rising sun", from Saglat in Bit-yakin on the Elamite border, had to be arrived at by boat.
to the north (north wind bit face, Epic of Gilgamesh).
at the mouth or source of the rivers (Epic of Gilgamesh).
Gilgamesh went down into the forest (Epic of Gilgamesh).
Gilgamesh wandered the steppes (Epic of Gilgamesh).
Gilgamesh travelled the Harran (ilu) Shamash (Epic of Gilgamesh)."road/path/way/track of the sun (god)" (Epic of Gilgamesh).
Gilgamesh had to pass through Mt Mashu "twin peaks" to reach Dilmun (Epic of Gilgamesh).
was a source of copper.
was a trade partner/entrepot.
was originally a holy/pure/virgin land.
connected with Meluhha (and Magan).
was one of eight nagu regions beyond the surrounding sea.
- Deities/gods/pantheon:
Inzak/Enzag/Enshag/"Nabu"? (Insakh/Enlil?)
Enki/Ea (Nudimmud)?
Lord of Dilmun
Ziusudra
Shamash
Muati/Wuati
Meskilak (Ninsikila/Ninhursaga?)
Nin-dilmun
Lahamun/"Sarpanitu"
Suluhitu?
Panipa
Ninsikila/Ninhursaga
Ninlil
- Kings/rulers:
Ziusudra/Utnapishtim/Atrahasis
Rimum
Yagli-el
Sumulel servant of Inzak of Akarum
Laula Panipa?
Usiananuri
Ili-ippasra?
Operi/Uperi
Hundaru I
Qena
Hundaru II.
- Periods when mentioned in Mesopotamian:
Ziusudra/Utnapishtim/Atrahasis "27th" cent bc
Uruk IV "3300" bc (or late "3rd" millenium bc?)
Gilgamesh/Izdubar/Namratsit
EDP III / Urnanshe/Urnina "2550-2500/2300" bc
Sargon I" 2371-2316" bc
Ibbisin "2028" bc
Sealand I dyn / Eagamil
Kassites / Burnaburiash II "1370" bc
Middle Assyrian "1250-1050"
Neo-Assyrian / Sargon II
Neo-Babylonian / Nabonidus 567/556/538 bc
Persians
Hellenistic.

Magan details:
- Names:
Magan/Makkan "ships/boats"
- Location details/directions:
was a source of copper and diorite.
had mountains.
connected with Meluhha (and Dilmun).
reached via the Lower Sea.
- Deities/gods:
Lord of Magan.
- Kings/rulers:
Mannu-dannu/Manium "mighty".
- Periods when mentioned in Mesopotamian:
"2600-2000" bc
Sargon I "2371-2316" bc ("2300" bc or "23rd" cent bc)
Manish-tusu
Naram-sin
Gudea
Ur-nammu "2113/2100-2096" bc
Esarhaddon 673
Ashurbanipal 643 bc
550 bc.

Meluhha details:
- Names:
Melahha/Milukha/Meluhha(-ki) ("country").
- Location details/directions:
a foreign land.
had mountains.
blocks of lapis lazuli and carnelian came from Meluhha.
red/speckled dog.
was within Parahshum/Marhashi, or contact/connection with Marhashi.
seems to be to the east.
connected with Magan (and Dilmun).
had a different language requiring an interpreter.
- Kings/rulers:
Abalgamash?
...ibra
- Periods when mentioned in Mesopotamian:
Sargon I "2371/2334-2316/2279" bc
Rimush
Naramsin "2254-2218" (or "2200" bc)
Gudea "21st" cent bc
Shulgi/Shamugin/Dungi
Ibbi-sin
"1760" bc
Esarhaddon 673
Ashurbanipal 643.
Achaemenid
Hellenistic / Seleucid / Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Lists of candidate name/meaning and/or nature matches.

(Kur) Dilmun/Dilman/Tilmun/Telmun(-na/ki) ("mount") "land of missles" ("city/land"):
Mesopotamian: Hilmu? Elymais? Tilla? Tel(l) al-Lahm (Kuara/Kisiga)? Umm Daleimin  (Shatt-el-Arab/Qurnah/Basra/Marsh Arabs)? Tilgarimu? Tummul/Dauhma? Ma'din (Marsh Arabs, metathesis/transposition, l/n interchange)?
Arabian: Telmelah/Thelme (near Persian Gulf, Ptolemy)? Dalma (UAE)?
Sinbad? Oman? Ad Dammam?
Iranian: Qeshm? Kerman? Dilmakan (Tabriz/Kerman, Persia/Azrbaijan)? Deylaman/Dilman (Gilan, Iran)? Dailam/Tabaristan/Gilan? Deylamites (between Gilan & Tabaristan, Alborz)? Daylam (Mazandaran, Iran)? Damavand? Bandar(-e)_De(y)lam (Elam)? Deylam (Khuzistan)? Mt Suleiman?
Helmand (Afghanistan)?
Indian: Tamil/Dravidian (metathesis)? Dilmah? Dholavira? Delhi? Munda? Mu? Dalai Lama? Silem (India)? Indus Seals? Dilipa? Ir-la-man (Indus Seal, Waddell)? jar-tila "wild sesame"?
Indonesian: Timor? Taiwan?
Biblical: Elam? Salem? Adam? Teman? Dalmanutha? Eden? Nod? Nimrod (read in reverse direction, l/r interchange, transposed vowels)?
Phoenician/Canaanite: Sidimus? Sad-el?
Peruvian: Illimani (Peru)?
Classical: Atlantis? Dimini? Tylos? Thule? Danubian? Olympos? Delphi? Lemnos? Dalmatia?
Roman: Lemur?
Celtic/British: Dylan/Endil? Lemanis? Dolmen? Diluvian?
Mexican: Olman/Olmec? Tlam? Mu? Tulan?
Mormon: Laman (Mormon)?
Egyptian: Helwan?
Ethiopian: Menelik?
Transcaucasian: Medzamon/Metsamor? Urmia? Dilman (Agsu/Asgu Rayon, Azerbaijan)? Dilmady (Astara, Azerbaijan)?
Central Asian: Turkmen? Tarim Basin (Sinkiang)?
Unsorted: Dailamites/Dimli (near Tigris, Anatolia)?
Gelam? Telalon?

Pu-land (alternative reading/name of Dilmun) :
Egyptian: Punt? Buto?
Biblical: Phut/Put?
Italian: Po?
Indian: Punjab? Puru?
Phoenician: Punic (Carthage)?
Peruvian: Puma Punku? Putuni? Puno? Pirua/Peru? Poopo?

Ni-duk-ki/Ni-tuk-ki / I-tuk-ki / Iatu-land / Ia-tuk-ki / Iau-tuk-ki/Itu-land-ka "land mouth" (alternative reading/name of Dilmun) :
Indian: Indus? Yadu?
Egyptian: Itur/Iatur/Atur/Itru "Nile"? Neter "adze"? Nile/Nilus? Nitocris?
Classical/Egyptian/Atlantean: Atlantis?
Biblical: Hiddekel/Tigris? Nod?
Peruvian: Tiaguanaco/Tiahuanaco/Tiwanaku?
(Note the similarity of Iatu.../Iatuk... and Tiagu.../Tiahu... by minor transposition of the ia & t. Also maybe note the intriguing similarity of Iatu-land/Itu-land and Atlantis.)

Dur-mah-ilani "great fortified place of the gods" (in the land of Dilmun) :
Classical: Troy/Ilos? Atlantis capital city? Tarsus?
Peruvian: Illimani (Peru)?
Mesopotamian: Dur-ash-ki-gal ("fortress", "great city", great fortified city, remote, in west, beyond or to north of Egypt)? Dur-ili/Dur-ilu(-ki-gal) (remote, in west, beyond or to north of Egypt)? Darala/Urashla/Ebla? Der? Dur city?
Biblical: Tarshish? Dor?
(Note maybe only one place in the world best matches the descriptions of great city, great fortified city, great fortified place of the gods. That place is Atlantis capital city which we locate at Tiahuanaco/Tiwanaku.)

Agaru/Akarum (region on west of Dilmun or of Bahrein) :
Mesopotamian: Akharru "behind" (Syria-Palestine)? Tell Abraq? Tell Agram/Aqram?
North African / Arabian: Maghreb?
Portuguese / Arabian: Algarve?
Biblical: Hagar? Horeb? Agur?
Phoenician/Canaanite: Ugarit? Agrotes?
Egyptian: Kharu (Syrian)? Aaru/Aalu?
Classical: Icarian? Carian?
Celtic: Avalon?
Indian / Central Asian: Agartha/Agarthi? Agudu (Indus Seals, Waddell)?
Arabian: Aqaba? Arab?
Transcaucasian: Agsu/Asgu Rayon (Azerbaijan)?
crab?

Maeshgan/Makkan / Maganna/Magan(ki) "ships/boats" :
Mesopotamian: Ma'dan (Marsh Arabs)? Mashtan island?
Arabian: Mahra? Macae? Makse? Mecca? Maan (Petra)? Majnoon (Noah)? Magalani? Makna/Magani/Maknawis or Maqla (Midian, nw Saudi Arabia)? Main (Yemen)?
Egyptian: Mafkat (turquoise-stone land)? Ma/Meshwesh? Maxy(c)es? Wadi Magharah?
Biblical: Magog? Maacah? Magdala?
Phoenician: Magos (Phoenician)?
Iranian: Maka/Makran/Myci (Iran)? Hamadan? Magi? Samarkand?
Central Asian: Takla Makan (Tarim/Sinkiang)?
Transcaucasian: Macrones (Armenia)? Dilmakan (Tabriz/Kerman, Persia/Azrbaijan)?
Mexican/Mesoamerican: Amag-dan/Maya(n)?
Greek: Mycenae? Atlantis (ships/boats)?
Indian/Indo-Chinese/Indonesian: Malaga? Naga? Magadha? Mekong?
Celtic: Mabon?
Peruvian: Manco Capac?
Unsorted: Tamajan? Atlantis/Peru (ships/boats)?

(Kur) Milukhkha/Melugga/Meluhha/Melahha/Meluhha(-ki) ("country") :
Persian Gulf: Failaka? Melangitso?
Indian/Pakistan/Indonesia: Malaga? Malabar? Moluccas? Mleccha? Sumeru/Meru? Baluchistan? Malaya? Malacca? Maldive? mel-akam "highland country"? ellu "sesame (oil)"? Mehrgarh?
Biblical: Amalek? Emlak/Havilah? Moloch?
Phoenican: Malah (Phoenician sea/sailor/ship god)?
North African: Morocco/Marakesh?
Ethiopian/Sudan/Egypt: Meroe? Menelik?
Anatolian/Asia/Turkey: Lukka/Lycian? Wilusa (Troy)? Meropis?
Mexican: Mexica (Aztecs)? America?
Peruvian: Peru? Manoa (Eldorado)?
Maori/Polynesian: Manuka? Milu/Miru?

pi narate "mouth (or source) of the rivers" (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Greek/Egyptian/Atlantean: Atlantis city (where ditch and channels all run down to)?
Phoenician/Canaanite: Sad-El dwelling of El at mouth of rivers?
Biblical: 4 rivers of Eden?
Mesopotamian: Nar (Euphrates)? Nairi?

Harran (ilu) Shamash "road of the sun (god)" (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Transcaucasian: Arran?
Mesopotamian: Haran/Harran?
Biblical: Shem? Haran?
Peruvian: Route of Viracocha? Gateway of the Sun?

Mt Mashu "twin peaks" (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Mesopotamian: Mt Amasis/Masis/Baris/Abaris? Mt Nimush/Nisir? Masu/Bar "hero"? Sumasti/Subartu/Suedin?
Indian: Meru? Pas(h)u "beasts/cattle"? Manu?
Peruvian: Macchu Picchu?
Biblical: Mash/Meshech? Damascus?
Egyptian: Ma/Meshwesh (Sea Peoples)? Tamahu? Mt Manu? Amsu (Min)?
Libyan: Maxy(c)es?
Chinese/Manchurian: Manchu?
Roman: Mars/Mas?
Transcaucasian: Mahser/Mahsur (Dogubayzit or Agri Dag / Mt Ararat area)?
Unsorted: Masooleh? Mashoof?

Gilgamesh went "down" into the forest (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Transcaucasian: Seas of Transcaucasia area (Van, Urmia, Sevan, Gokcha)?

"in the midst of the sea", had to be arrived at by boat:
Classical/Egyptian/Atlantean: Atlantis?
Biblical: Tarshish "in the heart of the seas" (27:25)? Babylon (sits amidst waters, Revelation)?

holy/pure/virgin land:
Indian: Indus Valley?
Biblical/Israeli: Eden? Holy Land (Palestine/Israel)?

Ninsikila (Ninhursaga) :
Dilmunite/Mesopotamian: Meskilak?
Indian: Kali? Shakti?

Meskilak:
Mesopotamian: Ninsikila?
Indian: Kali? Shakti?
Slavic: Mjesjac?
Mexican: Mexica/Mexico? Metztli?

Inzak/Enzag/Enshag:
Mesopotamian: Insakh/Enlil? Itak/Ztak/Isum?
Transcaucasian: Endzak (Armenian patriarch/king)? Gandzak(-Shahastan)? Gendzakh?
Indian: Indra? Indu?
Biblical: Enoch? Isaac?
Irish: Indech?
Peruvian: Inca?

Enki (Enkig/Ea/Nudimmud) :
Indian: Agni?
Mesopotamian: Anakki/Akki?
Biblical: Cain?
Peruvian: Inti?

Lahamun ("Sarpanitu") :
Mesopotamian: Lahamu? Tel(l) al-Lahm (Kuara/Kisiga)?
Indian: Lakshmi?
Elamite: Lagamal/Lagamari?

Suluhitu (spouse of Inzak) :
Indian: Sarasvati?
Mesopotamian: Sarra Itu?

Gilgamesh/Bilgames / Izzaxgamesh / Izdubar / Namratsit (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Biblical: Elam? Gomer? Ham? Lamech? Kedorlaomer? Nimrod? James/Jacob? Shem? Japheth? Isaac?
Mesopotamian: Bel? Masu?
Classical: Hercules? Hermes? Ganymede?
Peruvian: Viracocha?
Mexican: Quetzalcoatl?
Indian: Kama? Bhima? Ganesha?
Iranian: Gayomart?
Unsorted: Gegham/Gelam?

Sabit / Siduri (cupbearer, by seashore, Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Mesopotamian: Ishtar?
Biblical: Siddim? Sidon? Sheba?
Indian: Savitri/Savitar? Sri(devi)? Sapta Sindhu?
Transcaucasian/Iranian: Tabriz? Tabaristan? Cordyene/Kurd? Curid? Siunia? Teyseba/Tsuinia (Gohcha/Sevan)? Safid (Caspian)? Sabalan? Cizre?
Iranian: Shiraz?
Egyptian: Surid?
Hittite: Hebat?
Arabian: Cudi/Judi?
Scythian: Tabiti (Scythian goddess)?
Germanic: sister?

Manium/Mannu-dannu (king of Dilmun, versus Naramsin) :
Egyptian: Menes?
Peruvian: Manco Capac?
Norse/German: Mannus? Dan/Danus?
Indian: Manu?

Upir/Uperi/Operi (king of Dilmun or of Bahrein) :
Biblical: Ophir?
Arabian: Ubar?
Indian: Kuvera/Kubera? Pamir?
Maori/Polynesian: Kupe?
Peruvian: Peru?
Egyptian/Syrian/Mesopotamian: Upe?

120 poles of Gilgamesh, 12 tablets Epic of Gilgamesh (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Classical: 12 pillars of Hercules? 12 labours Hercules? 12 intended books Homer?
Germanic: long hundred (120)?

Ziusudra / Ut-napishtim/Shamash-napishtim / Atrahasis/Hasisatra (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Indian: Dyaus (Pitar)?
Biblical: Noah? Shem? Japheth? Yeshua/Jesus?
Classical: Deucalion? Zeus? Poseidon (Atlantis)?
Iranian: Zarathustra/Zoroaster/Zerdust?

Ur-shanabi (Urhea? ferryman, Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Biblical: Shem?
Transcaucasia: Oshnoviyeh?
Indian: Varuna?
Japanese: Urashima?
Classical: Uranus? Charon?

Aqrabu-amelu / Girtab-lullu "scorpion men" (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Mesopotamian: Akharru "behind" (Syria-Palestine)? Tell Agram/Aqram?
Dilmunite/Mesopotamian: Agaru?
Portuguese/Arab: Algarve?
North African / Arab: Maghreb?
Arabian: Aqaba? Arab?
Biblical: locust-scorpions (Revelation)?
Transcaucasian: Agsu/Asgu Rayon (Azerbiajan)? Kurds "guardians"?
crab?

in/to the east/sunrise (Nar Marratu / Persian Gulf / Red Sea / Indian Ocean) or where Shamash rises:
There was a reversal of compass/cardinal points/directions one or more times in ancient history as attested in Herodotus and some other sources.
The Egyptians and Arabs/Muslims had south as top/up.
Mesopotamians might have confused Amurru (Mediterranean) and Marratu (Persian Gulf / Indian Ocean), since Akkadian Amurru matches Sumerian Martu/Matu? Waddell has Iatuland/Puland (Dilmun) and Durash in the upper? sea (Mediterranean/Atlantic), not the lower sea. Durash is "in the west, beyond or to north of Egypt".
In Sumerian/Akkadian Suedin/Subartu was supposed to be in the east, but Suedin might match Sodom/Siddim. Semites had east as front, west as behind/back.
Shamash might be biblical Shem.
Since the Earth is a globe one could reach Atlantis/Peru on the other side of the world from Mesopotamia by travelling either west (Atlantic) or east (Indian & Pacific oceans) or south (Antarctic).
Japan "land of the rising sun"?

waters of death (Epic of Gilgamesh), &/or lower sea (Nar Marratu / Persian Gulf / Indian Ocean) :
Mesopotamian: Nar Marratu / Persian Gulf / Indian Ocean? Mesopotamians might have confused Amurru (Mediterranean) and Marratu (Persian Gulf / Indian Ocean), since Akkadian Amurru matches Sumerian Martu/Matu? Waddell has Iatuland/Puland (Dilmun) and Durash in the upper? sea (Mediterranean/Atlantic), not the lower sea. Durash is "in the west, beyond or to north of Egypt".
Biblical: Dead Sea? The Flood? Waters Below (Genesis 1)? Sea of Galilee?
Classical/Atlantean/Atlantic/American: Atlantic Ocean?
Transcaucasian: Seas of Transcaucasia (Van, Urmia, Sevan, Gokcha)?

garden of Shamash/sun (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
Salmas? Shavarsh? Shamakhy (Azerbaijan)? Tell Shemshara / Mat Utem land of gate keeper (Zab)?
Shamakha? Shemshak? Tangeh Savashi? Shemsdin? Semdinli? Tamajan?

garden/grove of the gods (Epic of Gilgamesh) :
The area of the cities of the plain was like the garden of the lord (Sodom, Genesis)? Garden of Eden?

(End of candidates lists.)

It looks quite possible that either Dilmun, or Dur-mah-ilani or Dur-ash or Dur-ilu, or Magan, or Meluhha is connected with Atlantis/Tiahuanaco (Peru). Consider these points in recap:
- Dilmun and Magan are connected with ships/boats. Atlantis is also linked with ships/boats.
- Dilmun was "faraway", and/or Dur-ash or Dur-ilu was "remote". Atlantis is most remote/distant in Plato and Diodorus Siculus. Peru is very distant.
- The name Iatukki is similar to the first half of Tiahuanaco (our Atlantis city site). The name Iatu-land is also maybe similar to Atlantis?
- Dilmun was in the midst of the sea. Atlantis seems to be similar. The biblical Tarshish was also in the heart of the sea(s), and Tarshish has similarities with Atlantis too.
- Dur-mah-ilani or Dur-ash or Dur-ilu as a "great fortified place of the gods" or "great fortified city" or "great city" or "fortress" sounds too much like Atlantis city.
Dur-mah-ilani or Dur-ash? or Dur-ilu? might also be connected with Tarshish, and Tarshish has similarities with Atlantis too.
- Waddell's text has Iatuland/Puland/Dilmun in the Upper Sea not the Lower Sea. Dur-ash or Dur-ilu (Dur-mah-ilani?) being "in the west, beyond or north of Egypt" well fits Atlantis/Tiahuanaco in the Atlantic.
- There are candidate matches for the names Dilmun/Iatukki/Puland, Magan, Meluhha in the Peru area where we place Atlantis city (eg Illimani, Manco, Peru).
- The waters of death that Gilgamesh travelled over to get to Dilmun might be the Atlantic?
- Mt Mashu is similar to Macchu Picchu. Or, Mashu "twin peaks" could match the 2 peaks Illimani and Illampu/Sorata which Tiahuanaco is situated in relation to?
- Dilmun's situation at Pi Narate "mouth/source of the rivers" could match Atlantis city where the ditch and channels of the large plain all run down to.
- 120 poles of Gilgamesh and 12 tablets of Epic of Gilgamesh may link with 12 pillars of Hercules and 12 labours of Hercules. Atlantis is associated with the Pillars of Hercules.
- Dilmun as being originally a holy/pure/virgin land might match Atlantis as a sacred isle or royal island or golden land, and might match Peru at the time Tiauanaco/Atlantis city was founded.
- Dilmun was 30 parasangs from Mesopotamia.
Tarshish is linked with "a sea 2000 parasangs wide". Tarshish has similarities with Atlantis.
- The Indus Valley civilisation might have been like a big intermediate ships/boats trading port/post/depot? The Indus Script is similar to the Easter Island script not far from Peru.

For our previous theorised locations of Dilmun a number of years ago see http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=33726 .

References/sources / acknowledgments:
Ashurbanipal 'Rassam Cylinder'
Atlantipedia
Alan Alford Gods of the New Millenium
Anonymous 'Babylonian & Assyrian Lieterature'
Black & Green Gods, Demons & Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia
Geoffrey Bibby Looking for Dilmun
Boffin
Bahrein National Museum
British Museum
Vlad Sean Bambrough / "Arthur-Robin" allempires forum topic
Stan Deyo?
Delitzsch
Epic of Gilgamesh
Enki & Ninhursaga poem/saga
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta
Editors of Time-Life Books
David Fasold Discovery of Noah's Ark
Eduard Glasser
Teresa Howard-Carter
Thor Heyerdahl
Dora Jane Hamblin
Hojlund
Indus Valley Seals
Thorkild Jacobsen
Michael Jordan Encyclopedia of Gods
Leonard W King Legends of Babylon & Egypt
LW King & HR Hall
SN Kranmer
G Maspero
Walter Mattfeld http://www.bibleorigins.net/
Asko Parpola
GL Possehl
Readers Digest Vanished Civilizations
H Rawlinson History of Phoenicia
Zecharia Sitchin
'Sharrukin' posts in allempires forum
Smithsonian Magazine vol 18 no 2
Durand Stone
Urnanshe/Urnina plaque or Votive relief of Urnanshe
Barbara Walker Womens Encyclopedia of Myths & Secrets
LA Waddell Makers of Civilization
Wikipedia
Juris Zarins.

Addenda: 

We will just add our candidates for the location of the land of Punt in Egyptian records.

Punt (Pweni/Puanit/Pwene/Pwenet/Pwnt/P-wn-n-t land, Ta-netjer/Neterto "holy/divine/god's land", Khenthennefer) :

African:
Funj/Fung (Sudan)?
Ha-fun (Horn of Africa, Rohl)? Opone/Pano (Somalia)? Puntland (Somalia)?
Peninj (East Africa)?
Pwani (Tanganyika/Tanzania)? Pondo (South Africa)? Ba-ntu "men"? Mbuti/Mbutu Pygmies?
Benin?
Punic (Carthaginian/Phoenician)? Putiya/Putaya ("Libya", Persian)?
Z-a_puna_q(m) (Egyptian/Phoenician inscription)? Pool of Pant? Fent/Shent/Khent ("upper/south" Egypt)?
Phut/Put ("Libya", Genesis 10)? Pul (African place, Isaiah 66, l/n interchange)? Ophir?

Asian:
Phoenician? Punic (Phoenician/Carthaginian)? Z-a_puna_q(m) (Egyptian/Phoenician inscription)?
Phut/Put ("Libya", Genesis 10)? Punon/Phunon/Pinon (Edom/Arabia/Sinai, Numbers 33)? Pul (African place, Isaiah 66, l/n interchange)? Ophir? Pleti/Pelethites (during David's reign in Bible, l/n interchange)?* Nod (P- prefix)? Ha-saponi "northerners" (Jewish)?*
Punjab? Pundarika "great lotus" (ancient Indian king)? Pani(s)? Poona (India)? Pune (India)? Panchala (ancient Indian dynasty)? Pandyan(s) (India)?
Pu-land/Dilmun?* Uan/Oannes? Meso-potamia?
Untae (Urartian/Indus goddess, ref Hrozny)? Van (lake, Urartu/Armenia)?
Nippon/Japan?
Phoenix (east/Arabia/Asia/India)? Pontus (Asia Minor)?

European:
Phoenix (east/Arabia/Asia/India)? Pontus (Asia Minor)?
Po river? Pontiff(ex)? Pompeii/Pompey? Faunus/Pan? Venice?
Portugal?
pond? pound? pint? Puck (Robin Goodfellow)? pony? point? pot/pottery?

American:
Puno (Peru)? Punin (Ecuador)? Pumapunku (Tiahuanaco)?
Pawnee (Amerind)? Pano(an)?

Oceanic/Pacific:
Papua(n) (New Guinea)?
Ponape (Nan Madol/Metaranimu/Metalanim, Caroline Is)? Epuni (NZ Maori)?

 

* Pu-land/Dilmun might be in South America or Atlantis and not in Asia?

* Origins of Pleti/Pelethites and Ha-saponi uncertain but they apparently might be from Mediterranean or Europe.