Sas Al Nakhl Island finds rev up DCT Abu Dhabi excavation season

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Archaeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) have launched the 2023-24 archaeology season and they believe that existing discoveries are just a fraction of what is yet to be uncovered from Abu Dhabi’s Umm an-Nar Bronze Age culture (2700-2000 BCE). Recent findings in the emirate point to Abu Dhabi’s major role in regional and global trade, as well as highlight the resilience and entrepreneurship of regional Bronze Age societies. A recurring theme at Abu Dhabi excavation sites has been important evidence of the measured and innovative use of natural resources by ancient civilisations, including material such as copper, pearls, plaster, and fresh water, to facilitate international trade and lead communities towards sustainable living. 

Located near to the modern city centre, Sas Al Nakhl is known locally as Umm an-Nar, which translates as ‘Mother of Fire’ or the ‘Place of Fire’. Ashes and dark soil, which result from fires, cover large areas of the site - which may be the reason for the name. Almost 65 years since the first archaeological digs place in Abu Dhabi at the same location, new excavations have begun on Sas Al Nakhl. Finds from recent excavations include a well-preserved assemblage of over 30,000 bones, revealing new insights into the Bronze Age diet.

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It consisted mostly of fish and seabirds, with dugongs being a rare delicacy – fine dining, so to say. The bones of some large animals were concentrated around a large, circular fireplace that indicates communal or ceremonial activities, or maybe a place where people from a wider area would gather for feasting. Some of the bones had been worked into utilitarian objects such as a spatula and spindle whorls, used to produce thread from plant fibres or wool. Stone objects include grinding and polished stones, stone axes, beads, a softstone bowl and pierced circular stone disks, used to weigh down fishing nets. Copper objects include a small adze or chisel and fishhooks.

A large number of the pottery vessels were found to have been imported from as far away as ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and the Indus Valley Civilisation (modern-day Pakistan and India), emphasising the island’s link role in a long-distance trade chain. Bitumen from the site has been matched to sources in ancient Mesopotamia and was used to waterproof pottery as well as a clay-lined storage pit. Importantly, one large fragment has the impression of wood and two pieces of rope, indicating that it was likely once part of the waterproofing on the hull of a Bronze Age boat, providing evidence of the long history of seafaring in the region.

The discoveries indicate that Sas Al Nakhl Island was thriving port from approximately 2800 to 2200 BCE and is of significant international importance, due to its commercial activities with Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. The site also contains monumental cemeteries. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The excavations that add greater depth and richness to our knowledge of our ancestors’ daily lives, helping us draw a more complete picture of our history and our region.”

Sas Al Nakhl Island was the site of the UAE’s first archaeological excavations in 1959, conducted by a group of Danish archaeologists. The excavations identified monumental stone-built tombs associated with a previously unknown type of communal grave. Now, decades later, DCT Abu Dhabi archaeologists are revealing evidence for houses and other buildings, as well as unearthing bones, jewellery, fishing net weights, locally made and imported copper weapons, and elaborately decorated pottery. They indicate a sophisticated settlement that supported an ancient maritime trade in copper from the inland Al Hajar mountains 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.

Across Abu Dhabi, internationally noteworthy discoveries made by the DCT Abu Dhabi team are changing global perspectives of the region, from Bronze Age burial chambers to complex underground irrigation systems. Leading archaeologists now believe the recent discoveries represent only a fraction of what is beneath the ground - and they are committed to investigate more. The current archaeological programme also features work at locations across Abu Dhabi, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Al Ain. Seven excavation sites across Abu Dhabi are live now and the 2023-24 season features excavations not only in Al Ain and on Sas Al Nakhl, but also on Ghagha Island, the UAE’s westernmost island, where DCT Abu Dhabi archaeologists have unearthed structures dating back 8,500 years and Delma Island, where researchers are excavating a 7,000-year-old settlement.

Recently, new cultural sites have opened to the public such as the Delma Island Museum, which celebrates the island’s ancient pearl trade, and a new visitor centre on Sir Bani Yas Island, which showcases a 7th and 8th century CE Christian monastery and church. They provide further opportunities for audiences to engage with the emirate’s history. An exhibition of the recent discoveries from Umm an-Nar and other archaeological sites across the emirates will feature in the upcoming Zayed National Museum, set to open in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. The national museum of the UAE will celebrate the nation’s ancient and modern history, interwoven with the life and legacy of Sheikh Zayed.  DCT Abu Dhabi’s archaeology initiatives shed light on the roots of Emirati culture. Ongoing discoveries reinforce the emirate’s history as a crossroads of civilisations. DCT Abu Dhabi’s activities range from preserving the past to shaping the emirate’s cultural future, with the aim of promoting cultural tourism.