United Arab Emirates has a rich civilizational past – 8,500 years old human settlement found at Ghagha island

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<strong>In what can be described as a major and significant discovery as per a report in smithsonianmag.com, archaeologists have found the United Arab Emirates’ oldest known man-made structure. Located on the island of Ghagha, these are circular in shape and are at least 8,500 years old, thus making them older by 500 years to earlier known oldest buildings.</strong></p>
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This finding came about as part of the well thought out archaeological programme across the Emirates and was made by the Department of Culture and Tourism, DCT Abu Dhabi researchers. In a statement issued by the authorities, these structures have been reported as <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-united-arab-emirates-earliest-buildings-are-8500-years-old-180979835/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220329-daily-responsive&spMailingID=46616497&spUserID=MTI4MDgxMTczNjcwMgS2&spJobID=2203237497&spReportId=MjIwMzIzNzQ5NwS2">“simple round rooms”</a>, which were likely to have served as “houses for a small community who may have lived on the island year-round”.</p>
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The height of the stone walls which are surviving is a little over three feet.</p>
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It is not known as to when this settlement was active but the carbon dating of the charcoal pieces that have been found at the site peg it around 6,500 BCE. Besides, the charcoal stone arrowheads in hundreds and other tools of hunting have been found.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://www.indianarrative.com/upload/news/Abu_Dhabi_Settlement2.webp" style="width: 720px; height: 480px;" /></p>
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<em>The height of the surviving stone walls is three feet </em></p>
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Further in a portion of this site, remains of a buried person have been unearthed which is 5,000 years old. This as per the statement, points to the view that the site “remained an important part of the cultural landscape” for millennia.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/culture-news/portugal-s-year-old-skeletons-could-be-the-oldest-mummies-on-the-planet-157693.html">Portugal’s 8,000-year-old skeletons could be the oldest mummies on the planet</a></strong></p>
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Expressing his views about this discovery, Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi said: “These archaeological finds have shown that people were settling and building homes here 8,500 years ago. The discoveries on Ghagha Island highlight that the characteristics of innovation, sustainability and resilience have been part of the DNA of the inhabitants of this region for thousands of years.”</p>
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The oldest known building in the UAE before this recent discovery at Ghagha was the one found on the island of Marawah. This was an 8,000-year-old structure, off the coast of Abu Dhabi.</p>
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In the statement it is mentioned that these findings including that in Ghagha, Marawah and other islands in the neighbourhood propose that these isles were not “arid and inhospitable” thousands of years ago. These were a “fertile coast” whose “local economic and environmental conditions” allured inhabitants.</p>
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These structures of the Neolithic period also suggest that human habitation of these places took place before the long-distance maritime trade routes developed. It was earlier thought that it was sea journeys and voyages that gave a fillip to human beings establishing communities in this region.</p>
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<strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/science-news/year-old-tombs-and-funerary-avenues-discovered-in-saudi-arabia-143797.html">4,500 year old tombs and funerary avenues discovered in Saudi Arabia</a></strong></p>
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Highlighting the importance of this discovery, Al Mubarak in the statement noted: “The finds reinforce an appreciation of history, as well as the deep cultural connections between the people of the UAE and the sea. We are also reminded that there is still much to discover across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and that it is vitally important we continue working to discover, preserve and protect our invaluable heritage for current and future generations to learn more about our ancestral past.”</p>
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There are several important and well-known sites of cultural and archaeological importance in the UAE. These include the remains of the oldest Christian monastery in the country; Al Ain, a UNESCO Cultural Site which has a series of oases, historic monuments, archaeological sites and natural areas; Miocene Trackways that have the six- to eight-million-year-old footprints of a herd of extinct ancient elephants; and an Iron Age fortress which is well preserved and dates back to 3,000 years ago.</p>