The latest excavations on the island of Marwah, carried out by archaeologists at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, revealed more information about the oldest known human-settled village in Abu Dhabi some 8,000 years ago.
Recent excavations, conducted over five weeks in February and March 2019, showed new evidence highlighting the advanced architectural, technical and technical practices used by early Abu Dhabi residents in very early Neolithic periods.
The island of Marwah is about 100 km west of Abu Dhabi city and about 25 km northwest of the port. The site of the excavations is located on top of a rocky limestone plateau in the southwestern part of the island. The site, first discovered in 1992 during an archaeological survey of the island, consists of at least seven hills that appear to be the remains of the collapse of rock structures from the Neolithic period.
The previous archaeological excavations focused on one of the smallest hills on the site and resulted in the discovery of a three-room stone building characterized by its good condition and quality of construction, as well as a number of other important objects, including an imported ceramic jar that can be seen at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Stock of flint and buttons of pearl oysters are currently displayed at Castle Palace. Other finds included fragments of pottery vessels, stone and shell beads, sea shells, fish bones, mammal bones such as deer, seabirds and dolphins.
The excavation has expanded since 2017, focusing on the largest hill in the site, revealing a lot of stone buildings. The recent excavation season showed the importance of this hill, where an exceptional collection of artifacts was found around the stone building, including a large number of stone arrowheads as well as fragments of ornate ornamented pottery vessels. The fragments of the decorated vessel are characterized by a thick, beautiful paint, and are the oldest known decorative art in the United Arab Emirates.
Tests to determine the carbon age of charcoal samples taken from different layers of soil showed that the site had been settled from very early periods, between 8,000 and 6,500 years ago.
The head of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, visited the island of Marouh recently to follow up the progress in excavations and excavations on the island.
"The ongoing exploration of Marouh Island continues to reveal amazing archaeological information that tells us a great deal about the history of Abu Dhabi, the region and the lifestyle of our early ancestors," he said. A clearer and more accurate picture of Abu Dhabi's ancient civilization for present and future generations. "The island of Marwah offers more new evidence of the richness of our past, which is deeply rooted in history.