Ancient burial site found during Fujairah mosque construction

The site, which dates back to between 2000BC and 1600BC, was discovered in Al Qurayyah, about 14km north of Fujairah city last week.

A team examines a site close to the construction of a mosque at Al Qurayyah.  Courtesy Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority
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FUJAIRAH // An ancient burial site has been uncovered and saved by archaeologists working with the Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority.

The site, which dates to between 2000BC and 1600BC, during the Wadi Suq period, was discovered near a construction site in Al Qurayyah, about 14 kilometres north of Fujairah city, last week.

“The burial site was found in the outdoor yard of a mosque that is being constructed in Al Qurayyah,” said Dr Kristina Pfeiffer, head of the excavation team from the German Archaeological Institute.

“During our rescue excavation of the burial, we discovered some remains of bones that we believe are from one of the earliest [human] inhabitants [of the region], while an examination of pottery found in the tomb showed that they were created in Wadi Suq period.”

The tomb is considered one of many that have been discovered in the area, finds that collectively form an ancient cemetery dating back 4000 years.

Fujairah Tourism and Antiquities Authority has built a roof and fence at the site.

The German archaeologists have also re-excavated late Bronze Age architectural remains in Qidfa, which was discovered in mid-1990s.

The team reassessed the Qidfa walls using the latest technology.

“Layers and structural modern studies have been made on walls dating to the late Bronze Age, 1550BC to 1200BC, which are considered very rare,” said Ms Pfeiffer.

The third part of the German team’s excavation concentrated on the northern valleys of Fujairah, where they looked for evidence of Bronze Age settlements or agriculture.

“These excavations are part of a long-term research programme to study the evolution of human communities in the country by selecting different geographical areas, characterised by different environments, resources and periods of time,” Ms Pfeiffer said.

Environmental and plant samples were collected and analysed, along with anthropology samples, to gain a better understanding of the natural and cultural aspects of ancient times in the area.

All the collected data will be recorded on an online geographic information system.

This was the first part of the archaeological campaign in Fujairah this year, and the second part will begin in June.

rhaza@thenational.ae