UAE archaeological sites: Priceless treasures of the past

ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF THE UAE | Archaeological evidence found in the UAE include pottery, jewellery, tools, dwellings, tombs and graves, forts, irrigation systems and gardens. They reveal the ingenuity of the ancient inhabitants to sow the seeds of one of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations. These are some of priceless and historically significant artefacts found in archaeological sites in various parts of the country.

HILI GRAND TOMB | This site in Al Ain, a desert oasis city which forms part of Abu Dhabi, has been dated more than 4,000 years. Ages ago, rudimentary structures were built in desert locales that would someday sprout modern civilisations. The ancestors who left their mark on the ground had no idea their stone legacies would someday carry great importance for the present generation.

BIDA BINT SAUD | This is part of an Iron Age building at Bida Bint Saud in Al Ain, UAE. Archaeologists believe this may have been used to manage a nearby "falaj" (Arabic for ancient water channels). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has recognised the universal value of four cultural sites of Al Ain including Hafeet, Hili, Bida Bint Saud and six date palm oases by including them on the World Heritage List.

FIVE INTERLOCKED SKELETONS | These five interlocked skeletons discovered in the UAE date back to the 6th millennium BC. These skeletons were discovered by the Umm Al Quwain authorities in the neolithic cemetery at Al Shabika. The skeletons date back about 6,000 BC to 5,001 BC.

8,000-YEAR-OLD MARAWAH VILLAGE | According to new radiocarbon dates, the buildings found on Marawah island in Abu Dhabi go back 8,000 years, to a time called the "Neolithic period", or the New Stone Age. The houses uncovered at the site are remarkably well-preserved, and experts believe the houses were used for several hundred years.

ANCIENT POTTERY | A 7,000-year-old vessel discovered at site MR11 on Marawah island, off Abu Dhabi, UAE. Decades-long explorations have shown the UAE as a treasure trove of priceless ancient artefacts and sites.

COMPUTER RECONSTRUCTION | The Marawah houses consist of several rooms and outdoor spaces for the keeping of animals and the preparation of food. In total, there are estimated to be up to 10 houses in the village. Archaeologists believe that the ancient inhabitants of Marawah realised that the Gulf was an ancient superhighway that connected them to their neighbours, so they developed sophisticated ship technology to conduct trade and business.

NEOLITHIC VILLAGE | A drone shot of the Neolithic site on Marawah Island, Abu Dhabi, where the world's oldest known natural pearl was discovered.

WORLD'S OLDEST KNOWN NATURAL PEARL | Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, this gem was found in layers that have been radiocarbon dated to 5,800-5,600 BCE, during the Neolithic period.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY | The Neolithic sites on the island of Marawah were first identified in 1992 during a survey carried out by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS). The discovery of the "Abu Dhabi Pearl" is proof that pearls and oysters had been used in the UAE for millennia, and represents the earliest known evidence for pearling yet discovered anywhere in the world.

ANCIENT TOOLS | A large number of stone arrowheads, as well as decorated and undecorated plaster vessel fragments were found during the excavation of Marawah site in Abu Dhabi. Some of the plaster vessel fragments are richly painted and represent the earliest known decorative art yet discovered in the UAE.

AERIAL VIEW | An aerial view of the Marawah archaeological site. Artefacts from the site can now be seen by the public on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Other items, including flint arrowheads and pearl oyster shell buttons, are on display at Qasr Al Hosn, a former palace and Abu Dhabi's oldest stone building that was turned into a museum in 2018.

VESSELS | Plaster vessel fragment found in the Marawah archaeological site, now on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi, is the earliest example of a complete imported trade vessel so far found in the UAE.

UMM AL NAR CULTURE | The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah has a rich history and heritage. Four sites in Ras Al Khaimah have been added to UNESCOs tentative list of world heritage sites. Photo shows Shimal tombs that date back to the Umm Al Nar culture (2,600 to 2,000 BC). Shimal’s tombs, prehistoric settlements and medieval palace form part of the emirate’s history spanning more than 4,000 years.

INCENSE BURNERS | These incense burners were found at the Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site. Items found at the site include golden, bronze and metal foundry that were discovered at the site hidden under the sand in the Rub' Al Khali desert (the Empty Quarter) South of Dubai.

SARUQ AL HADID JAR | A jar, one of the 12,000 pieces found in the Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site in Dubai. Saruq Al Hadid is an archaeological treasure trove first discovered in 2002 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

ANCIENT GOLD JEWELLERY | A gold jewellery found at the Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site south of Dubai. Today, experts consider Saruq Al Hadid as the jewel in the crown of Dubai’s archaeology, a site of international significance that increases the understanding of industrial activity, trade and everyday life during the Iron Age.

TOOLS OF THE PAST | Archaeologists working on the Saruq Al Hadid site. The rich collection of artefacts reveal that the Saruq Al Hadid site was one of the main centers of copper manufacturing of various tools in the region since the beginning of the Iron Age.

PRESERVATION WORK | The site contains large amounts of metal ores and remains of domesticated animals that date back to thousands of years. State-of-the-art technology had been used to check the archaeological finds from Dubai's Saruq Al Hadid site.

GOLDEN RING | This is the Saruq Al Hadid gold ring, one of the treasures from the Iron Age found in Dubai's Saruq Al Hadid archaeological site. It was was hidden for centuries and millennia by several metres of sand dunes. The ring is currently housed in the Saruq Al-Hadid museum in Dubai. The ring has inspired the Expo 2020 logo.

ARROWHEADS | The first exploration of the Saruq Al Hadid remote archaeological site in Dubai yielded a horde of ceramics, beads and copper-and-bronze artifacts, including arrowheads, axe heads, a fish-hook, bracelets, knives and, intriguingly, models of snakes. In all, more than 12,000 unique objects had been unearthed at the site.

SHARJAH'S ANCIENT PAST | Archaeological excavations and surveys in 2015 led by Sharjah’s Directorate of Archaeology found stone tools, including hand axes from the Lower Palaeolithic Age, of a type known as Acheulean, during surface surveys on Jebel Faya and in the Suhaila area.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE | An archaeological discovery in the Emirate of Sharjah. The artefacts discovered with the help of a team from Germany’s University of Tubingen are considered to be up to half a million years old, possibly pushing the history of human habitation of the Emirates back by several hundred thousand years.

ARTEFACTS | Among the archaeological discoveries in Sharjah's Jebel Faya and in the Suhaila area are stone tools, including hand axes from the Lower Paleolithic Age. Numerous other archaeological remains were found in the emirate including many finely-crafted weapons and jewellery, such as those found at Jebel Al Buhais.

RAK ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE | Graves dating back to 2,000 BC unearthed during the construction of the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road project in Ras Al Khaimah. The Sieh Al Herf site, next to Al Salhiya Road, just off Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road in Ras Al Khaimah, was discovered in October 2012. It contains graves, ancient tombs and important archaeological artefacts.