Stone buildings discovered in UAE date back 8,500 years

ABU DHABI, UAE—Archeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi have unearthed evidence of the earliest known buildings in the UAE and the broader region dating back more than 8,500 years, at least 500 years earlier than previously thought.

The discovery of the stone structures was made on the island of Ghagha, west of Abu Dhabi city, stated a release.

The discovery was revealed by carbon-14 analysis of charcoal fragments, which indicates the structures are at least 8,500 years old, breaking the previous record for the earliest known structures built in the UAE, which were discovered on Marawah Island.

The structures are simple round rooms, the walls of which are made from stone and preserved to nearly one metre in height. The rooms were likely houses for a small community that may have lived on the island year-round.

Hundreds of artifacts were found in the rooms, including fine stone arrowheads that would have been used for hunting.

How long the settlement existed is unknown, but after it was abandoned, it apparently remained an important part of the cultural landscape, as nearly 5,000 years ago a person was buried in the ruins of the structures. It is one of the few burials from this period known on the Abu Dhabi islands.

HE Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of the department, stated, “These archeological finds have shown that people were settling and building homes here 8,500 years ago. The discoveries on Ghagha island highlight that the characteristics of innovation, sustainability and resilience have been part of the DNA of the inhabitants of this region for thousands of years.”