Archaeology of the UAE: Hafeet, Hili, Julfar and Ed-Dur

The history of the UAE does not begin with oil, nor even with its forts. Its land holds archaeological sites, some of them thousands of years old.

Hafeet: the start of the Bronze Age

On the slopes of Jebel Hafeet are tombs about 5,000 years old, built of local stone with a single chamber, which mark the start of the Bronze Age in the UAE. That period is called the «Hafit period» after tombs near Al Ain. A Danish expedition excavated them in 1959.^[1][2]

Hili: the oldest farming village

The Hili archaeological site in Al Ain holds the oldest known evidence in the UAE of a farming village; the village at Site 8 dates back to about 3000 BC.^[1]

North of Al Ain, the Bidaa Bint Saud site sits on a large rock called «Qarn Bint Saud», and some of its tombs are about 5,000 years old.^[1]

Al Ain on the World Heritage List

The «Cultural Sites of Al Ain» on the World Heritage List are made up of four groups — Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and the oasis areas — spread over 17 connected sites.^[3]

At Al Qattara Arts Centre in Al Ain, opened in 2011, a basement shows archaeological layers five metres deep, from the Iron Age to the late Islamic period.^[4]

Julfar: the port of Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah has about 1,000 archaeological sites, among them the historic port of Julfar, which flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1633 the forces of the Ya'aruba drove the Portuguese out of Julfar and Dibba.^[5][2]

Ed-Dur: on Al Beidah lagoon

In Umm Al Quwain lies the archaeological site of Ed-Dur, dating from the 1st century AD. It overlooks Al Beidah lagoon and includes a square fort with round towers at its corners.^[6]