Far from Dubai’s skyscrapers, in the vast open-air Shindagha Museum, lies the Saruq Al Hadid Archaeology Museum, a portal to one of the UAE’s most mysterious archaeological sites.
This museum brings to life the story of a remote Iron Age metallurgical centre and its inhabitants whose ruins and remnants lie deep in the Dubai desert, revealing an enigmatic chapter of early Arabian history.
What began as a chance observation by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, of strange-looking dunes from a helicopter, has evolved into one of the Gulf’s seminal archaeological sites – and now a museum housing some of the treasures uncovered so far.
Why go there?
Saruq Al Hadid Archaeology Museum is more than just a museum – it’s a thousands-of-years-old mystery waiting to be solved. Why was a metalworking centre built where fuel and water were seemingly scarce? What are those curious heavy adornments they found used for? Why are there so many snakes etched into their designs?
They say only about 10 per cent of the site has been uncovered so far – and within just over 10 years that amounts to about 10,000 objects. This museum is currently the only place where many of Saruq Al Hadid’s discoveries are on public display.
It’s also part of the award-winning Al Shindagha Museum complex, which houses more than 20 thematic pavilions and museums across dozens of structures.
Entrance to Saruq Al Hadid comes with a ticket to Al Shindagha, so you can either choose a few museums to tick off your list in one visit or even spend a whole day perusing the area’s myriad narrow, labyrinthine alleyways.
What you’ll see
A visit to Saruq Al Hadid begins with a short video projected on to three walls around you, introducing the eponymous area, which is located in what is now Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, and its rich history dating back to the Iron Age.
From there, you head into another room where you’re shown more videos of what’s been discovered there so far. Then visitors flow into galleries with themed rooms devoted to metalwork, animal remains, jewellery, ritual symbolism and more.
Within its several display rooms, you’ll find copper slags, ingots, iron implements, finely crafted gold jewellery, shell discs and bronze snake figurines. Objects hint of trade ties from Mesopotamia to the Indus Valley, but whether it was an origin or a simply a stop on a trade route remains unknown.
Display cases hold delicate artefacts under climate control and interactive elements let you peer deeper into the details. At the end of the tour, an interactive screen allows you to reconstruct pottery or skeletons, or “interview” some of the archaeologists involved in the continuing digs to learn more about what they’ve found so far – and why it’s all so significant.
Star attraction
The evocative snake figurines and motifs stand out. Snakes recur as symbols at the site, as well as across the Middle East, including etched on to pottery. However, the significance of snakes to the inhabitants of Saruq Al Hadid remains a mystery.
If you’re with children or young adults, the interactive touchscreen elements add a dash of fun and intrigue to the tour. This is the kind of place that inspires budding archaeologists.
What to know before you go
Expect a quiet, contemplative space rather than a theatrical show, but what’s on display is truly fascinating – and well curated. The videos capture your attention from the start, while the choice of artefacts on show allows your appreciation of what’s been discovered to deepen.
Captions and signage are bilingual. Films run in English and Arabic, but note they take a minute to start, so be patient.
If you engage with all the displays and interactive elements thoroughly, you could easily spend about 60 minutes in Saruq Al Hadid alone.
Ticket price and location
Al Shindagha Museum is open daily from 10am to 8pm (last entry 7pm). Admission is Dh50 per adult for access to the entire Al Shindagha Museum complex. It’s Dh20 for student tickets (ages 5 to 24).
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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