5,000-year-old settlement unearthed in Oman
It boasts tower structure, surrounded by multi-room dwellings, and cemetery
Dubai: A settlement dating back 5,000 years was unearthed in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi in the Ash Sharqiyah North Governorate during archaeological excavations in the archaeological site of Al Gharyein.
It is believed that the site belongs to the early Bronze Age, as indicated by the traces of Hafeet and Umm Al Nar cultures found here.
The settlement was uncovered by a team of experts from the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
The excavation team, headed by Dr. Nasser Said Al Jahwari, Professor at the Department of Archaeology at the SQU College of Arts, includes Dr. Khalid Douglas and Dr. Mohammad Hussein.
The settlement boasts a tower structure, surrounded by multi-room dwellings, a cemetery with mass burial graves and the remains of other buildings.
Al Gharyein settlement is distinguished for its large buildings as huge as 600 square metre each.
Besides its exceptional architectural styles, the settlement played a major role in the region, with manifestations of human activities such as early farming, herding, copper smelting and trade exchange, notably among coastal communities.