Archaeologists working at the Ed-Dur site in Umm Al Quwain have uncovered more than 500 tombs dating back 2,000 years, significantly contributing to our understanding of the Gulf's distant past. The tombs were found near the ruins of stone houses and a temple, and other items including pre-Islamic religious relics, weapons, jewellery and pottery. This is an exciting find not just for those involved in the project but for anyone with an interest in the development of civilisation.
What is emerging from the work at Ed-Dur and other sites in the UAE is a picture of a thriving community comprising sophisticated people who traded with cities in Italy, Greece, Persia, India and elsewhere in the Meditteranean and South Asia.
An understanding of the past informs the present and the future. In this case, it is good to know that the people of the Gulf two millennia ago were inquisitive and industrious, and engaged with the world beyond the desert and the sea.
