Free tours of UAE's archaeological sites will offer a glimpse of life 5,000 years ago

Tours of Hili 8 and Hili 4 in Al Ain will be given on November 24 and 25

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 19 November 2017. Tour of the historically important archaeological site in Hili, Al Ain. Workers excavate parts of the site to be sifted trough water and then sorted by hand for fragments that could lead to new discoveries. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: John Dennehy. Section: Weekend.
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Visitors to Al Ain can step back 5,000 years in time when two Bronze Age archaeological sites open to the public for two days later this month.

Free tours of the Bronze Age settlements Hili 8 and Hili 4 will be hosted by Department of Culture & Tourism - Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Nov 24 and Sunday, Nov 25.

The tours will take place every 30 minutes from 10am until 3pm at Hili Archaeological Park.

Visitors will get an up-close look at recently excavated artefact, visit burial grounds and explore fresh archaeological digs.

The settlements were established around 3,000 BC and home to farmers who grew wheat, barley, millet and palm trees. Inhabitants traded regionally and kept domestic animals like sheep, goats, cows and donkeys. Tombs reveal that people were buried with jewellery, gifts and jars of pottery.

AL AIN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 19 November 2017. Tour of the historically important archaeological site in Hili, Al Ain. Workers use a water sifting method to seperate artifacts from the excavated soil. These artifacts could in turn lead to new discoveries about the history of the site. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National) Journalist: John Dennehy. Section: Weekend.
Workers sift through the remains of artefacts from excavated soil in November 2017. Antonie Robertson / The National

Hili 8 is a Unesco World Heritage site and was uncovered by French archaeologists expedition in the 1970s. Emirati archaeologists and experts from the Austria, France and the United States have been at Hili 8 since March to re-examine it with new technology and have uncovered new artifacts as well as plant and animal remains.

The public can register by emailing aanm@dctabudhabi.ae .

Comfortable shoes and sunglasses are advised. No children below age ten.

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Read more:

Remains of Bronze Age Emirati settlement open to public for first time

Digging the past: 40 years of archaeological finds on display in Sharjah

Fresh excavations at historic Hili 8 Site in Al Ain

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