UAE | Heritage and Culture
Al Ain's old treasures
Archaeological discoveries have revealed evidence of a thriving ancient civilisation.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:38 January 8, 2009
- Storage jars discovered at the Hili Archaeology Park; a display at the Al Ain National Museum.
- Image Credit:
Al Ain: For many years, archaeologists and volunteers have been digging deep and sifting through dirt in Al Ain to collect the pieces of UAE's ancient history.
The discoveries showcase the depth of Arabian civilisation and culture.
The explorations have also proved Al Ain is a treasure trove of priceless archaeological artefacts and sites.
The presence of the national museum, historical and archaeological sites, ancient Aflaj (underground irrigation system) and the preservation of the traditional way of life have made Al Ain a centre of cultural tourism.
Settlements
Archaeology embodies a country's civilisation and culture. It also represents the identity of a community.
The findings demonstrate the existence of early settlements in Al Ain. A thriving civilisation existed in the Stone and Bronze Ages.
Research attributes many unique inventions, arts and crafts to ancient inhabitants of this oasis.
Several years ago, discoveries in the north of Al Ain revealed evidence of human settlements that date back to the Stone and Bronze Ages. Another important site is in the Hili district of Al Ain. This site houses the largest Bronze Age complex that has been transformed into the Hili Archaeological Park.
The Hili Park has been designed to highlight the ancient history of the UAE. Several sites dating back to the Iron Age, around 1000 BC, are also located in the preserved archaeological area surrounding the park. One of the most impressive monuments in the UAE is Hili Grand Tomb, which is more than 4,000 years old. This tomb, which was discovered in 1960s, is located in the middle of the park.
Excavations
Remains of a huge ancient cemetery were also discovered in the northern and eastern foothills of Jebel Hafeet that date back between 3200-3000 BC. The finds in this area show that the cemetery belonged to the community that lived in the region around 5,000 years ago.
A team of French archaeologists exploring the area indicated in 2005 that the society in Hili and its surrounding areas were thriving some 7,000 years ago.
The village of Hili, which spread over more than 10 hectares, was organised around big towers, made of unbaked bricks and reaching 20 metres in diameter. The tower at Hili was rebuilt at least twice in less than a millennium. At the end of the third millennium two other Hili towers were also in use, according to Dr Walid Yasin, an archaeologist who has spent much of his life in Al Ain. There are a dozen tombs in the necropolis of Hili that were built during the Umm Al Nar period that started around 2700 BC and ended around 2000 BC.
Most of the contents of a grave were originally excavated before 1989 by a team that decided to leave a part of the burial deposits in the central part of the structure untouched.
The original excavations produced a huge amount of disarticulated and fragmented human remains mixed with hundreds of pottery vessels and other objects, some of which are now on display at the Al Ain Museum.
Dr Sophie Mery, an archaeologist who worked in the area, said people living at the time were using seven different techniques in pottery making, some of which are unique.
The archaeologists have also found pottery objects that were imported from Mesopotamia and the ancient Indus valley civilisation of Pakistan.
A large number of antiques have been preserved and displayed at the Al Ain National Museum, which was established through a presidential decree of late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan in November 1971.
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