A new book is delving into the archaeological history of Fujairah, offering an in-depth examination of its human presence from the Paleolithic era to the mid-20th century.
The Archaeology and History of Fujairah is the second book in a series dedicated to the emirate’s natural environment, which was envisioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah.
The book explores how ancient populations thrived in the emirate by working with the environment. It details the significant archaeological finds that uncovered clues about the technological and cultural developments in Fujairah’s history, ranging from stone tools, burial cairns and forts to the stunning rock art of Wadi Al Hayl.
The Archaeology and History of Fujairah may be the first comprehensive work on the emirate's archaeological heritage. Yet, for its author Michele Ziolkowski, it is the latest title in a robust output that is dedicated to Fujairah and the landscape that has had a profound impact on her life.
Ziolkowski was an undergraduate archaeology student when she first visited Fujairah in the winter of 1993. The serene silence of the mountains and the wind rustling through the palm fronds of the wadis instantly enchanted her. Of course, she couldn’t foresee then that the landscape would become a significant part of her professional and personal life; that in the decades to come, she would write several books about Fujairah’s history; and that she would go on to further explore the environment with her son.
“I was immediately captivated by the beauty of its mountains and wadis,” she says, before referencing a quote by the 20th-century English explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who said: “It was very still, with the silence which we have driven from our world.” While Thesiger was referring to the UAE desert, Ziolkowski says the quote resonated with her own experience of Fujairah’s mountains.
In 1995, Ziolkowski returned to Fujairah. She had just concluded her undergraduate degree and in her search for a thesis topic, the rock art of Wadi Al Hayl seemed like an obvious choice.
“I spent the entire field season recording rock art in Wadi Al Hayl,” the Australian author, who is a naturalised Emirati citizen, recalls. “This experience had a profound impact on me, as it allowed me to conduct and direct my own field research. The rock art, carved into the stones that dot the landscape of Fujairah, captivated me. With a major in both archaeology and fine arts, I appreciated how this subject allowed me to combine my interest in both topics.”
Wadi Al Hayl is not the only area in Fujairah that features petroglyphs. In fact, the emirate contains the largest number of recorded rock art in the UAE. More than 40 sites have been found so far and new petroglyphs are continuously being discovered. Each of these offers unique insights into the population that thrived in the emirate across millennia.
The petroglyphs feature human and animal forms, battle scenes and even more abstract and geometric motifs. Late pre-Islamic graves marked by petroglyphs have been discovered in Wadi Thaib. There are Kufic inscriptions and footprints in Wadi Zikt. Quranic inscriptions, meanwhile, were found on larger rocks at Hisn Safad and hint at the population’s early Islamic history. In a way, the rock art found across the emirate are like timestamps, hinting at various stages of the emirate's population.
Despite being a relatively young nation, the UAE has carried out an extraordinary amount of systematic archaeological research since the mid-20th century, Ziolkowski says. She points to the notable recent work of Adrian Parker and Knut Bretzke at Jabal Kaf Addor, which unearthed new discoveries about the region’s Palaeolithic era. The two researchers were instrumental in writing the chapter dedicated to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods, which Ziolkowski says was particularly challenging.
“I have never worked on sites or artefacts from these periods, so it required extensive research," she adds. "I am also grateful to experts like Professor Adrian Parker and Dr Knut Bretzke for sharing their valuable insights on the subject.”
The chapter sheds light on how early humans came to populate the area tens of thousands of years ago, moving into the Peninsula from Africa through the Sinai Peninsula and Bab Al Mandab.
The book details the type of stone tools these early humans used and the areas they probably lived in. From then on, it explores how subsequent populations moved through the landscape, built their dwellings and what farming and mining methods they used. The book chronologically moves from the Paleolithic era to the Umm an-Nar and the Wadi Suq periods, from the Bronze to the Iron Age.
It delves into the ancient copper industry and how it shaped Bronze Age trade networks throughout South-Eastern Arabia, the Arabian Gulf and as far afield as ancient Mesopotamia. The latter part of the book explores the area in the early and late Islamic periods, detailing the forts and homes built in the area, including the 16th-century Fujairah Fort. Finally, the book further explores the region’s rock art, in a way summarising the area’s development through this cultural perspective.
While research and archaeological studies have been integral to discovering more about the history of Fujairah, stories passed down through generations have been no less pivotal, Ziolkowski says.
Hidden in the mountains, wadis, coastal and inland regions are more sites and artefacts waiting to be discovered, analysed and added to the story of Fujairah
Michele Ziolkowski,
archeologist and author
“Ethnographic information passed down through the generations, including the stories my mother-in-law, Moza Al Kindi, has told me has been invaluable in understanding how people lived in this environment in the past,” Ziolkowski says. “These narratives are not merely stories, but a rich tapestry of historical accounts handed down from generation to generation. They contain a plethora of useful information, offering a unique and invaluable perspective through ethnographic research.”
Ziolkowski also worked on the first book of the series envisioned by Sheikh Mohammed. “The idea was to create a series of books covering various topics which form the basis of Fujairah’s identity as an emirate,” she says.
Ziolkowski was a co-editor of The Natural History of Fujairah. She also wrote a chapter in the book dedicated to archaeology and co-wrote the chapter on traditional farming. “My work on the first book served as an excellent foundation,” she says. She added that it also provided the focus of its follow-up, The Archaeology and History of Fujairah. “From the beginning, I was mindful of the goal to connect archaeology with the natural environment in my book.”
Even after decades of studying Fujairah’s past, Ziolkowski says she is still constantly surprised by new aspects of the landscape. Her son Suhail has also inspired her to see Fujairah in a new light, discovering aspects of the natural terrain that she had not fully appreciated before.
“Since the birth of my son Suhail, we have spent time exploring Fujairah’s natural environment together,” she says. “Suhail, who is autistic, finds the mountains particularly calming, free from the sensory overload of modern cities. Through Suhail, I have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world.”
Suhail also helped Ziolkowski access areas where she hadn’t been before, possibly making new discoveries. “While walking in the mountains with Suhail, he decided we should follow an old goat trail in a tributary wadi of Wadi Al Hayl," she says. "This led us directly to an almost empty vein of soft stone. It is plausible that this was once a source of soft stone used to create carved vessels, lids and seals.”
In fact, it was Suhail’s unique relationship with Fujairah’s landscape that inspired her to write the 2017 children’s book The Boy Who Knew the Mountains. The book, which has been adapted into a feature film, is set in 1959 and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who is ostracised by his tribe as they do not understand the nature of his exceptional memory and navigational skills. He soon sets out on a life-affirming journey, travelling from Fujairah to Abu Dhabi, encountering several people who help him gain more skills and see his autism as a power.
The Boy Who Knew the Mountains aimed to spark an interest among children in Fujairah’s often under-appreciated landscape. In that way, it is similar to The Archaeology and History of Fujairah, which though caters to a different demographic, also seeks to highlight the breadth of Fujairah’s history, while also underscoring that there are still lots of areas to explore, hopefully inspiring the future generation of archaeologists.
“Fujairah's landscape is rich with historical treasures,” she says. “Hidden in the mountains, wadis, coastal and inland regions are more sites and artefacts waiting to be discovered, analysed and added to the story of Fujairah."
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Results
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Wonka
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
