The outline of two large houses, which may have been merchants' homes, on Al Sinniyah Island. Photo: Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology
The outline of two large houses, which may have been merchants' homes, on Al Sinniyah Island. Photo: Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology
The outline of two large houses, which may have been merchants' homes, on Al Sinniyah Island. Photo: Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology
The outline of two large houses, which may have been merchants' homes, on Al Sinniyah Island. Photo: Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology

Oldest pearling town in the Arabian Gulf discovered in Umm Al Quwain


John Dennehy
  • English
  • Arabic

The oldest pearling town in the Arabian Gulf has been discovered in Umm Al Quwain.

Announcing the major find on Monday, the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology said digs at the site this year have yielded evidence of a thriving more than 1,300-year-old settlement that predates the rise of Islam — with hundreds of houses and several thousand people.

The landmark discovery was made on Al Sinniyah Island, close to the ancient monastery found last year, and it is now believed the monks made their home next to this major pearling settlement.

It sheds light on the harsh life of the pearl trade, how these early communities were plugged into global trade networks and poses questions as to why monks chose to set up their monastery so close.

It was a town like the coal mining towns of the Welsh valleys or Detroit’s car industry. It was big and important
Prof Timothy Power,
United Arab Emirates University

“This is a discovery of major significance for the history of Umm Al Quwain, the UAE and the wider Arabian Gulf,” said Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, chairman of the emirate’s Department of Tourism and Archaeology.

“Pearling has been an essential part of our livelihood and our heritage for over 7,000 years, and some of the earliest known evidence of pearling comes from Neolithic graves in Umm Al Quwain,” said Sheikh Majid.

“For the first time, we have the opportunity to study a pearling town from over 1,300 years ago.”

Although other pearling towns of this period are known from historical sources to have existed in the Arabian Gulf, this is the first time the site of one has been investigated, documented and excavated.

One reason is because the town's inhabitants left the island and the site was never reoccupied, ensuring it remained preserved.

“We originally thought it was a village to serve the monks,” said Prof Tim Power of the UAE University, who was part of the team that discovered the site. “But it was clearly much more.”

Digs carried out this winter showed how something special had been unearthed.

As they went down through the layers, archaeologists found palatial dwellings with large courtyards where it is thought wealthy pearl merchants and elite members of society lived.

Surrounding these were smaller houses believed to be the homes of poorer fishermen.

Rich and poor lived side by side and traded with countries across the globe with the town's focus overwhelmingly on pearling during about 200 years of occupation.

“It was a town like the coal mining towns of the Welsh valleys or Detroit’s car industry,” said Prof Power. “It was big and important," adding it was the spiritual ancestor of pearling towns such as Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah's Jazirah Al Hamra.

These homes were built from local beach rock, while the roofs were likely made from palm trunks brought from the mainland.

Several pearls were found, together with a pearl diver’s weight — devices worn by divers to allow them to descend — which is the oldest well-dated instance yet found in the UAE.

Thriving trade

Inside the merchant homes were supplies to sustain the thriving pearl trade, such as bales of rope. “They are very large courtyard houses and similar to those found across the Arabian Peninsula,” said Prof Power. “Families live together, reflecting the Arab way of life.”

The shallow, warm waters of the Gulf were known to produce some of the world’s most prized pearls. It brought trade and wealth but pearl diving was a tough life and divers risked death.

Underlying the tough, back-breaking work of the pearl industry, a huge mound of opened and discarded oyster shells — essentially the industrial waste of the pearl industry — was discovered on a peninsula opposite the town. Archaeologists believe millions of shells could have been discarded here over the 200 years the site was occupied with thousands opened to find one pearl.

The town also traded with the Gulf and beyond. It is densely covered in pottery, glass and coins. Evidence for particularly close links to India was found where it is believed pearls were traded for goods.

“Twelve per cent of ceramics found there had been imported from India,” said Prof Power. "That is exceptionally high.”

Radio carbon and comparisons of the pottery sherds dated the site to the late sixth or early seventh to mid-eighth centuries, beginning around a generation before the rise of Islam and lasting for perhaps two generations after the arrival of Islam in the Emirates. Questions surround its demise. One reason given is regional tensions but more research is needed.

It was likely abandoned in the mid-eighth century and its trajectory roughly follows that of the monastery. The presence of the monks speaks to a time when Christianity and Islam coexisted.

While further investigation is needed to determine the exact relationship between the two, it is clear why the location was chosen. Al Sinniyah, shaped like several fingers, protects the mangrove-fringed Khor Al Beida lagoon. Today it seems remote. Driving across rutted tracks to reach the settlement, gazelles run for cover, while falcons perch on trees. But it is thought people made their home here because of the easy availability of food such as birds and fish. “It was a good place to be to catch your dinner,” said Prof Power.

It was also close to the pearl beds, the lagoon was sheltered and made for a good natural harbour and it was a source of beach rock. Beach rock — stabilised sand — is a naturally forming rock occurring in lagoons. Fresh water springs were also believed to be in the vicinity and residents may have even planted palm trees.

The 12-hectare town — about the size of 12 football pitches — is now believed to be one of the largest surviving urbanised settlements comparable to the urban core of medieval Julfar in Ras Al Khaimah. The scale of the settlement is impressive there are even the remains of tandour ovens where residents cooked food.

The pearling town and monastery were found under the Al Sinniyah Island Archaeology Project, involving the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology; UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth; UAE University; the Italian Archaeological Mission in Umm Al Quwain; and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University.

Further work is expected at the site and there are also plans to build a visitor’s centre and open it to the public.

“It is the highlight of my career,” said Prof Power. “And one of the most exciting sites I’ve ever worked on.”

Labour dispute

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- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Fixtures (all in UAE time)

Friday

Everton v Burnley 11pm

Saturday

Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur 3.30pm

West Ham United v Southampton 6pm

Wolves v Fulham 6pm

Cardiff City v Crystal Palace 8.30pm

Newcastle United v Liverpool 10.45pm

Sunday

Chelsea v Watford 5pm

Huddersfield v Manchester United 5pm

Arsenal v Brighton 7.30pm

Monday

Manchester City v Leicester City 11pm

 

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5

RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports

8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21

  1. Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
  2. Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
  3. Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
  4. Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
  5. Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
  6. Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
  7. Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
  8. Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Neil Thomson – THE BIO

Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.

Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.

Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.

Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.

Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.

Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

Volunteers offer workers a lifeline

Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.

When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.

Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.

Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.

“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.

Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.

“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)

5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham

6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi

8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan

Updated: January 31, 2024, 2:02 PM`