Masafi, a UAE town in the foothills of the Hajar Mountains, is known for its springs and wadis.
Thousands of years ago, people were well aware of this supply of water.
Research published in the Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal paints a portrait of a sophisticated settlement where people grew crops, reared animals, expertly used raw materials and traded with the eastern coastal villages of Khor Fakkan and Kalba.
Several ancient settlements make up Masafi and one of them, Masafi 5, was the focus of the latest study.
'Coastal‑hinterland exchange during the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age across the northern Ḥajar mountains: the case of marine shells at Masafi 5' was written by archaeologists Kevin Lidour, Maria Paola Pellegrino and Julien Charbonnier.
It is about six hours minimum on foot from the coasts. So to see people collecting shells on the coasts and then processing them in Masafi, that is very strange and interesting
Dr Kevin Lidour,
Emirati-French Archaeological Mission in the UAE
It tells about the people who lived in this terraced agricultural village during the late Bronze Age and, intriguingly, how they imported sea shells from the eastern coast, and used them as tools and jewellery.
They even had a workshop to produce them on site and this sets this inland village apart, as this type of work was typically found only on the coast.
“Here at Masafi we are in the mountains,” said Dr Lidour. “It is about six hours minimum on foot from the coasts. So … to see people collecting shells on the coasts and then processing them in Masafi, that is very strange and interesting.”
Masafi is rich in history and shows evidence of occupation across several sites for thousands of years. It developed over the millennia as a strategic link between the west and east coasts.
Masafi 5 is thought to have been occupied intermittently during the late Bronze Age (1,600 to 1,300 BC) and at the beginning of the Iron Age (1,300 to 300 BC).
Excavations by the French Archaeological Mission in the UAE and in conjunction with the Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority took place at the site over the past decade, with the most recent ending in 2020.
The area's ancient inhabitants lived in terraces, grew crops and reared animals. The remains of fireplaces and furnaces suggest the presence of copper mining and metallurgy.
“We found remains of stone or masonry terraces, so the inhabitants were living on top of terraces,” said Dr Charbonnier, field director for the project. “There was the cultivation of cereals and dates. There is evidence they had cattle, sheep and goats and they also produced pottery and local copper.”
But it is the use of sea shells that is noteworthy. Archaeologists believe it could be the first inland town in the region to have shown evidence for turning shells into adornments such as mother-of-pearl plaques and rings made from conus shells.
It is thought the small community at Masafi might have traded pottery for raw shells with Kalba and Khor Fakkan. Much of it was for food, but they used leftover shells such as venus clam, violet asaphis and ark shell to make cutting tools.
These could be used to cut ropes and palm tree fibres, or in basketry. Other shells were turned into jewellery, containers for cosmetics and trinkets. At this time, many were making tools with metal, so why did this practice continue at Masafi?
“The production of metal tools is very specialised and something only people with knowledge of the smith can do. It is not easy,” said Dr Lidour. “But it is different with shell tools, as they are very easy to make, so this is maybe a way to explain why people were still using them during the late Bronze Age and Iron Age.”
For Dr Charbonnier, it sheds new light on a poorly understood era, as many sites were not properly excavated and studies were limited.
“This is the first time we have detailed analysis of sea shells from sites from the late Bronze Age. It shows some traditions from the Bronze Age continue to the Iron Age,” he said.
While the site has now been almost completely excavated, more studies are needed, not least to understand if other villages used shells in a similar way.
“The aim was to understand this late Bronze Age site,” said Dr Charbonnier. “This period is the transition to the Iron Age and is not very well known. We don’t really know what happened. This gave us a chance to know more about the chronology and economy and social structure of these populations of the late Bronze Age.”
Ancient Al Sinniyah Island pearling town found in Umm Al Quwain - in pictures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
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Honeymoonish
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
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Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
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The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
