For centuries, the world view of the region's history has centred on places such as Egypt and Jordan. This is not surprising: Egypt's pyramids and Jordan's rose city of Petra are considered among the world's wonders.
But tucked away in a quiet part of Sharjah lies evidence of the Gulf region's own ancient history.
Two major discoveries have been made at the site of the Iron Age settlement of Muwailah, where the archaeologist Peter Magee has been excavating since 1993.
First, the site revealed the earliest evidence of local domestication of the dromedary, or single-humped, Arabian camel. Also, Dr Magee and his team found the earliest evidence of script in the area.
The region's Iron Age is now believed to have occurred in three phases or periods of occupation, between 1300 BC and 300 BC.
Muwailah falls during the most prolific of the periods, between 1000BC and 600 BC, when the area had its largest population and the most populated sites.
"This phase is still poorly understood in terms of the economy," said Dr Magee, an Australian who is based at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. He spends six weeks at the site each winter with his team.
"But once you domesticate the camel you can integrate the economy, as you can bring goods between areas and from countries such as Yemen. It also became a vital source of milk and meat whereas previously, they had been hunted much the same as animals such as the gazelle."
Camels had previously been used only for their skin and as food. But camel skeletons found at the site are evidence of their domestication; they are distinctly smaller than skeletons from previous eras such as the Bronze Age. Dr Magee said this is "consistent with domestication".
The site of Muwailah stretched to more than 20 hectares. The central area was four metres high, surrounded by ditches three and a half metres deep, much like a waterless moat system.
"There may have been over 1,000 people at any one time living over the extended area," Dr Magee said.
"The central part was built from mud-brick and stone. But further afield, many families would have lived in areesh buildings, made with palm fronds.
"We have no evidence for this defensive technique previously in the region. We do, however, know that it requires a lot of work and speaks to the importance of what's going on inside the settlement itself."
In spite of its advanced building work, the site ultimately failed; it was burnt down when it came under attack sometime between 800 BC and 700 BC.
The fire did, however, leave archaeologists with what Dr Magee called "very good organic preservation" which has allowed them to more easily date what remained.
Whole dates and charcoal have allowed the team to make detailed assessments of the period.
One of the most surprising finds, Dr Magee said, was the first evidence of writing in the area, as well as the use of bronze weapons and tools, such as sewing needles, spears, arrow heads and axes. Bronze was widely available. The writing, three letters of which were found on a ceramic pot, is in the sabaean script, commonly used in Yemen from around 800 BC. Yemen was a source of incense and frankincense to the area's communities.
"Writing would usually be found in larger quantities," Dr Magee said, "but it could have been written on materials which have already naturally degraded such as on the ribs of palm fronds as they did in Yemen.
"It just doesn't make sense that there would only be one inscription, as nobody would have understood it."
Dr Magee said it clearly showed overland trade was key to the site, 500 years before the time when historians believed these trading networks began.
"The site also exploited maritime trade which we can see from the pottery from Iran and Iraq found at the site," he said.
Many goods from the likes of Iran and Mesopotamia came through the area, especially around Sharjah, with its proximity to the coast.
The site has yielded one of the most substantial finds in the region's history, with more than 3,500 objects and 100,000 animal bones recovered.
"We haven't found any human bones other than one young man who was buried under a collapsing wall," he said.
Whole pots, used for storage and consumption, spouted painted vessels and pouring pots used for banquets or events are among the finds. "All of these were found in their original positions and well preserved," Dr Magee said.
The Iron Age was one of the area's most significant periods. It would lead to major societal, economic and environmental developments in the coming centuries.
During the 1980s, archaeologists in Al Ain overturned a centuries old assumption that Iran was the leader in the traditional falaj system of water irrigation in the region. The oldest known tunnels in Al Ain date to 1000 BC.
Dr Magee said the use of the tunnels improved agriculture inland and as such, helped the economy's expansion.
He said he had yet to answer two questions: whether camel domestication came before the falaj development, and whether those major developments were a cause of, or response to, increased settlement.
"We can only answer this by very tightly dating the sites, which is what we are still working on now," he said. "With the afflaj, there are no artefacts to help us."
Dr Magee and his team have obtained more than 40 highly accurate radiocarbon dates which is more than any other site in the region, he said.
The excavations are being funded jointly by Dr Magee's university and by the Sharjah Directorate of Archaeology.
Dr Magee said he could see archaeology and heritage becoming more prominant in the emirate. "The rulers have increasingly placed more importance on the country's cultural heritage. It's a very deep history."
After the settlement's destruction, a period of economic downturn seems to have occurred, in what Dr Magee called a cycle of boom and bust.
"We know very little about this period," he said. "The boom of this second period lasted for around 500 years. The third period is still a real mystery."
There have been observations of the area's third phase of the Iron Age, from 600 BC to 300 BC, dotted at sites around the country. But they are never isolated; the traces are always interspersed with the Iron Age's second period.
The three phases of the Iron Age are not consistent around the world. "The differences between them speak to very local changes that are going on here," Dr Magee said.
After turning up so many fascinating discoveries over the past 17 years, Dr Magee has grown attached to the site that has shed light on the area's rich history. "There is still a lot of work to do," he says. "But I'd be sad if I knew it had all come to an end. I love coming here. It's an amazing site and I love Sharjah."
@Email:mswan@thenational.ae
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The%20specs
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More on Quran memorisation:
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
HWJN
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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Specs
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Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
