Tuesday, April 04, 2023

Their world was the oyster: Oldest pearl town found in United Arab Emirates

Amazing stuff! About the pre-Islamic history of the Arabian peninsula!

"Archaeologists said ... they have found the oldest pearling town in the Persian Gulf on an island off one of the northern sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates.
Artifacts found in this town on Siniyah Island in Umm al-Quwain, likely once home to thousands of people and hundreds of homes, date as far back as the region’s pre-Islamic history in the late 6th century. While older pearling towns have been mentioned in historical texts, this represents the first time archaeologists say they have physically found one from this ancient era across the nations of the Persian Gulf.
“This is the oldest example of that kind of very specifically Khaleeji pearling town,” said Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University ...
The island, whose name means “flashing lights” likely due to the effect of the white-hot sun overhead, already has seen archaeologists discover an ancient Christian monastery dating back as many as 1,400 years. ..."

Wikipedia entry about the island

Their world was the oyster: Oldest pearl town found in UAE | AP News

Credits: Archeologists Discover Oldest ‘Pearl City’ In UAE Are Muslim Arabs finally taking an interest in pre-Islamic history?

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