SHARJAH // The methodical work involved in unearthing relics from an archaeological site for public display will be showcased at Sharjah Archaeology Museum.
The exhibition displays photographs of archaeologists working at sites in the emirate, as well as detailed drawings and information on how the artefacts are cleaned and prepared for transport.
Another section reveals the meticulous laboratory processes used to record and measure the objects, be they jugs, glass beads or iron arrow heads.
Measuring tapes and scales, scalpels, microscopes, chemicals, and photographs of sensitive x-ray machines used to clean and restore the items are also displayed in glass shelves.
“It is so interesting to find one part and then you keep looking to find the other part, and finally it becomes one,” said Dr Sabah Jassim, the head of the archaeology excavation missions.
“You are anxious to find every part and when it all fits together, you feel like you have achieved something. Each item adds more importance to the site it was found.”
Chemicals such as benzotriazole are used in small amounts to clean metals and prevent corrosion. X-rays help detect decorations not visible to the naked eye and contamination hidden under the soil.
The museum staff used X-ray machines to investigate the gold discs on the horse bridle found at the Mleiha excavation site.
Carbon dating helps to ascertain the age of the relics and to categorise the era they are from.
The exhibition’s final section will become part of the museum’s permanent collection.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
