Key Archaeological Findings Discovered in UAQ
18 May 2009
KhaleejTimesOnLine
DUBAI -
A team of national archaeologists have made a major discovery including potshards dating back to
the Umm Al Nar Civilisation, around 3000 BC, at Ed-Dur site in Umm Al Quwain.
The team, formed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, in cooperation
with local archaeology departments, was led by Eisa Yousuf, an Emirati archaeologist working with
the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information.
The team surveyed the site, covered in shell crusts, and recovered bronze arrow heads, believed to be from the Iron Age, around 1,000 B.C. After five days of excavation, the team divided into two groups in order to conduct a comprehensive survey of about 12sqkms.
A string of key archeological findings appeared in the first layer of the surface. The findings looked like three iron arrow heads of three wings, which were well known at that time in AD100.
Locally, there are similar arrows which were discovered in Dibba Al Hesn Cemetery, in Sharjah.
The team includes personnel from the Sharjah Museum, the Sharjah Department of Heritage, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
and the Umm Al Quwain Museum.
The team includes Head archeologist Issa Abbas, from the Culture and Information Department in Sharjah, Ali Muqbelani and Hamdan Al Rashdi, from Abu Dhabi Heritage and Culture Authority, Hamad Al Mateoey and Hamdan Rashid Al Al Alili, from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and others. The 10-day project covers an area of 12 sqkms. Restoration and conservation of sites and structures have been identified and excavated earlier this week.
Belal Al Badour, Executive Director of the Culture and Arts Section, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, attended the execution of the project along with a number of senior officials from the ministry apart from Shaikh Khalid bin Hamid Al Muala, Director of the Umm Al Quwain Department of Archeology and heritage.
The arrow heads that were excavated looked similar to the ones discovered in Kazakhstan along with some beads made from agate and fish bones dates back to the 1ST century AD.
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