In March 1998, archaeologists working on the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey began digging on Marawah Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. It marked the first step in uncovering what would later be identified as an 8,000-year-old Stone Age village.
During the excavation, the team discovered ancient fireplaces used by hunters from the Late Stone Age. Carbon dating showed that the remains were the oldest evidence of human settlement yet found in the UAE, pushing the country’s known history back thousands of years.
The findings suggested that people were living on the island at a time when the environment was very different from today. Higher rainfall would have made the area greener, with more freshwater and wildlife, allowing people to stay in one place for longer periods.
Further excavations in the years that followed revealed stone houses dating back about 7,500 years, the earliest examples of permanent stone buildings found in the Arabian Gulf.
Archaeologists also identified two nearby Stone Age settlements, known as MR I and MR II, giving a clearer picture of how early communities lived on the island.
Later discoveries included burials inside former homes, along with tools, jewellery and objects used for fishing and hunting.
Among the most significant finds was an 8,000-year-old natural pearl in 2019, believed to be the oldest ever discovered, showing that people in the region were using pearls thousands of years earlier than previously thought.
Using carbon dating, archaeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi deduced the pearl dates from 5,800BC to 5,600BC.
Archaeologists believe the discovery proves pearls were used in the UAE nearly 8,000 years ago, and it represents the earliest evidence for pearling yet discovered anywhere in the world.
It follows a string of discoveries on Marawah over the past few years that revealed evidence of a sophisticated Stone Age village that once thrived on the island.
Nearly three decades after the first dig in 1998, Marawah Island remains one of Abu Dhabi’s most important archaeological sites, helping researchers better understand how early communities lived, worked and adapted to life in the Gulf.
