On-site lab to conserve artefacts

Dubai: A specialised laboratory is working on site for the conservation of the large number of ancient artefacts discovered in archaeological digs around Dubai, the tourism department said yesterday.

The laboratory was moved from Dubai Museum to the Jumeirah archaeological site to handle the large number of artefacts being unearthed there, said Awad Seghayer Al Ketbi, Executive Director at the Heritage Division of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The Department is also responsible for excavation works at Sarouq Al Hadeed, an archaeological site situated 100 kilometres south of Dubai, it said in a release.

The Sarouq Al Hadeed site which was buried under the desert sands was accidentally discovered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, when he noticed a lot of metal objects on the ground.

The site now covers 13.75 square kilometres and the finds here date back to the Neolithic Period (7000-4000 BC) and the first millennium BC. Experts from Jordan are also helping in the digs, said the director.

Conservator Ahmad Fawaz said expert tests reveal the material composition of an object, which helps to date the piece and understand the methods used in creating the object.

"During cleaning, a conservator might uncover features such as tool marks, inscriptions, or decorations that help to understand how, when, and where an object was made," he said. "The information helps us to understand the lives of the people who lived during that period," he said.