The first major Iron Age cemetery in the United Arab Emirates has been unearthed in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) recently revealed.
The 3,000-year-old necropolis is believed to include more than 100 tombs filled with grave goods. Experts from DCT Abu Dhabi’s archaeology section of the historic environment department found a few small pieces of gold jewelry; shell cosmetic containers; bead necklaces; bracelets; rings; razors; drinking sets such as spouted vessels, bowls, and small cups; and copper-alloy weaponry, including spearheads and arrowheads. Evidenced among the finds is the quality of the found goods.
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Human remains identified in tombs at the grave site were fragile. Further analysis is expected to confirm age, gender, and health of the people these remains belonged to. Their DNA could also provide greater insight on familial relationships and migration patterns.
“This discovery promises to transform our understanding of the ancient Emirates. For years, the Iron Age burial traditions remained a mystery, but now we have tangible evidence that brings us closer to the people who lived here 3,000 years ago. It reinforces our efforts to preserve, promote, and protect Abu Dhabi’s heritage for future generations,” Jaber Saleh Al Merri, Director of the Historic Environment Department at DCT Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News.
The tombs would have been constructed by digging a roughly six-and-a-half foot shaft. Further digging sideways would have then created an ovular burial chamber. Once the body and goods were placed inside, the entrance was sealed shut using mud bricks or stones before it was backfilled. No grave markers on the surface level may be part of the reason why the discovery of Iron Age tombs has been a rarity in the region. Another is due in part to looters from antiquity.
The Iron Age saw the invention of the falaj, a type of underground aqueduct that contributed to a period of agricultural expansion. Archaeologists have previously unearthed villages, forts, temples, aflaj, and ancient palm gardens in the region from this time.
“We know how people in the Bronze Age and Late Pre-Islamic period buried their dead, but the Iron Age has always been a missing part of the puzzle. We are now in a position to understand the evolution of burial customs over time and learn what these changes might say about the beliefs and traditions of the people who lived here,” said Tatiana Valente, a field archaeologist at DCT Abu Dhabi, reported the Khaleej Times.
The Cultural Sites of Al Ain have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011. This excavation is part of the larger Funerary Landscapes of Al Ain Project, which began in 2024 to futher examine prehistoric tombs identified during construction work.