United Arab Emirates: the land of mysterious secrets
United Arab Emirates, History, 2/20/1999

The southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, which used to be known in the past as "Bilad al-Majan," still has numerous hidden secrets.

Archaeological digging in the area started some 40 years ago. Today, the chance is available to reconstruct part of the deeply-rooted past of this area which is known today as the United Arab Emirates and Oman, where most ancient sites go back to the seventh millennium BC.

In the third millennium, the Bilad al-Majan was the main source of copper which was exported to Mesopotamia via the sea.

Sophie Mary, a French archaeologist who leads a French archaeological team, recruited by the National Center for Scientific Research in France said that the region used to export other commodities to the Mesopotamian market. Among the exported materials were curved stones and palms.

Bilad al-Majan, on the other hand, used to import cereals, textiles and woods. Also imported at that time were pottery utensils, as revealed in the findings unearthed in al-Ein oasis, 160 km east of the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi.

Finds unearthed in the region included items brought from India, especially ornamented utensils and ivory combs. The archaeological sites surrounding al-Ein and the tombs at al-Haily district and al-Rumeilah antiquities all form an excellent chance to understand the way of living pursued by the ancients.

Houses' foundations revealed in al-Ruleileh field, which go back to the first millennium, indicate that houses used to be built behind a closed circle. It was also found that certain types of sea shells were used as suckers for kids.

Yet, there are still many things to be found and the "Bilad Majan" is still a place that can tempt researchers.

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