It's not every day that the largest settlement of its period ever found on the coast of the UAE is unearthed. This year, however, after three months of digging, archaeologists working in Umm Al Quwain at the site on Al Sinniyah Island hit upon what is believed to be the ancient city of Tu'am. The capital of the Gulf coast in the sixth century, Tu'am is mentioned in ancient Arabic texts and is said to be the predecessor of the pearling towns of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Archaeological revelations are not new to the region. Nevertheless, the discovery of this ancient lost city is both exciting and significant for the UAE. The country has dedicated teams of archaeologists who collaborate with local and international experts, and build on what are already enormous feats: the discovery of the oldest pearling town in the Arabian Gulf last year, and the site of an ancient Christian monastery dug up in 2022 – which was the second such in the UAE after one monastery was discovered in the early 1990s, on Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas Island.
Over the years, those sites have been frequented by travellers to the region, who have an interest in tracing the possible beginnings of habitation in these parts. There's good reason to assume that this round of excavation, too, will lead to increased visits to the site by those keen on learning about the origins of people on this land, much before the formation of the UAE as we know it today.
A natural outcome to such a discovery, then, is likely to be an increase in tourism. People will want to have a look for themselves at the accommodation of forebears and trace their lifestyles and the ways in which civilisations over the centuries have evolved.
This discovery could shed light on questions pertaining to society and commerce: the sort of houses that were the norm then, tightly packed around narrow alleyways – the alleyways have been dug up by the team this past winter – the language they communicated in; what people might have cooked on the tannour ovens apart from fish, and so on. The vast evidence on Al Sinniyah Island provides several vignettes of the lives of early settlers.
This fascinating world of the past, specifically the sixth to the eighth centuries, runs counter to a tiresome contemporary narrative of the UAE among some who do not know the country– sometimes seen solely as an oasis of upmarket hotels, malls, beaches, modern cultural centres and amusement parks. For the heritage seeker, a discovery such as last week's underlines once again the rich and varied dimensions of the country, many of which can go unmentioned in popular recommendations to tourists.
But even as people in the UAE will be eager to know from the experts what can be extrapolated from the discovery of this ancient site, the wider region, too, will benefit. It may well lead to extensive information gathering, surmising and sharing, as is the goal of archaeology. In that regard, these findings could well have relevance to historians around the world.
Last year, when remains of an ancient Roman city were found on the eastern bank of the Nile, the dig had led to finding kettles, flasks, pottery and Roman coins made of copper and bronze that were a window into early smelting processes. In another discovery last year, in southern Iraq, in the ruins of ancient Lagash, north-east of the city of Nasiriyah, an Italian-American team managed to dig up, among other artefacts, a primitive refrigeration system.
Such consequential findings not only carry historic significance on their own, they are also of interest to ordinary people. The ancient sites in the Middle East, and most recently in Umm Al Quwain, show the many ways in which historic ruins, some of which were once important bustling cities, inform our understanding of a very different time in an earlier age. In giving us a broader perspective, such discoveries serve to link the modern world with an often unimaginably rich past.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
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Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
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NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
