Abu Dhabi – The Past

Above An aerial view of the Qarn bint Sa’ud outcrop. Recent survey of this imposing natural feature and its hinterland is revealing new insights into activity that seemingly dates from the Palaeolithic through to the Islamic period.

World Archaeology
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Unlocking a hidden landscape: preliminary fieldwork at Qarn bint Sa’ud, Abu Dhabi

Recent survey has revolutionised our knowledge of rock art created on an imposing natural landmark in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). What can archaeology reveal about how humans used a landscape that periodically became more or less hospitable in response to climate shifts? George H Nash, Yale Fox, Dillon von Petzinger, Genevieve von Petzinger, Aitor Ruiz Redondo, Juan F Ruiz Lopez, and Yamandu H Hilbert, provide us with a first glimpse of the fruits of their work.

The Past

8,500-year-old structures represent the earliest-known in the United Arab Emirates

Hundreds of stone artefacts, including finely worked arrowheads likely used for hunting, were also unearthed.