Sharjah's Faya site joins UNESCO World Heritage List

His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended an official ceremony on Monday to mark the formal inscription of the Faya archaeological site onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The event, held at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, celebrated the site’s recognition as a "central station in the memory of humanity." During the proceedings, the Sharjah Ruler received the official inscription certificate from Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, following the site’s successful nomination during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris.

Challenging the narrative of human migration

Addressing an audience of diplomats and senior officials, Sheikh Dr Sultan emphasised that Faya is far more than a local landmark. Recent excavations at the site have uncovered stone tools exceeding 200,000 years in age, a discovery that has fundamentally shifted the scientific understanding of how modern humans moved out of Africa.

"Faya has provided a new and well-documented map of human migration," the Ruler noted. "It proves that the Arabian Peninsula was not merely a crossing point but an early homeland... a place for settlement and life."

He described the site’s layers of rock as "living pages of the book of humanity," arguing that the preservation of such locations is essential for future generations to understand their cultural identity and origins.

A Dh2 million boost for archaeological research

To ensure the site continues to yield insights into the Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods, Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ambassador of the Faya World Heritage Site, announced the launch of the Faya Research Grant.

The international scientific initiative is valued at Dh2 million and will run over three years. Managed by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority, the grant aims to:

• Support specialised studies and excavations at the Faya site.

• Encourage participation from young international researchers.

• Provide Emirati students with opportunities to join scientific missions.

Sheikha Bodour, who led the decade-long effort to secure UNESCO status, remarked that the inscription was not a "victory" but an act of "gratitude for the world’s recognition" of the site’s significance.

Global recognition of "Outstanding Universal Value"

Lazare Eloundou Assomo of UNESCO praised Sharjah’s commitment to heritage, noting that Faya is now the second property in the UAE to be included on the prestigious list, following the 2011 inscription of Al Ain’s cultural sites.

"Faya contains significant archaeological remains, in addition to geomorphological features that provided essential resources—such as water and raw materials—thus enabling human settlement," Assomo said. He highlighted that the site offers a unique window into how early humans responded to extreme climatic shifts in arid zones.

Visual history and rare finds

Before the ceremony, the Sharjah Ruler toured a special exhibition titled Faya’s Journey to World Heritage 1973–2025. The display featured six rare archaeological finds shown for the first time, including:

• An Acheulean stone handaxe dating back approximately 500,000 years.

• Hunting points and flint blades from the Middle Palaeolithic era.

• Multipurpose cutting tools used between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago.

A visual presentation titled "The Story of Faya," was displayed which used 3D mapping on the natural rock faces of the site to illustrate the environmental changes the region has undergone over the last 210,000 years.

The inscription marks a significant milestone for the UAE’s cultural diplomacy, positioning the Sharjah desert as a vital link in the shared history of global civilisation.