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34-566: Meliha Archaeological Centre is a visitor centre and exhibition based around the history and archaeology of the areas surrounding the village of Mleiha in Sharjah , the United Arab Emirates . Built around a preserved Umm Al Nar era tomb, the centre details the excavations and discoveries made over the past 40 years at Mleiha and surrounding areas (including Al Thuqeibah , Jebel Faya , Al Madam and Jebel Buhais ), particularly

68-893: A German team working in Maysar, in Oman . Tikriti is at pains to point out that, despite long-standing efforts since the 19th century to excavate qanat systems in Iran, no evidence has been found for any such qanat there dated earlier than the 5th century BCE. He concludes that the technology originated in South East Arabia and was likely taken to Persia, likely by the Sasanian conquest of the Oman peninsular. Others have followed Tikriti's lead. In 2016, Rémy Boucharlat in his paper Qanāt and Falaj: Polycentric and Multi-Period Innovations Iran and

102-691: A clay pot, at Mleiha in February 2021. The nine-kilo find was described as 'hugely significant'. Mleiha represents the most complete evidence of human settlement and community from the post- Iron Age era in the UAE. A thriving agrarian community benefited from the protection of the Mleiha Fort. It was here, and during this period, that the most complete evidence of early iron usage in the UAE has been found, including nails, long swords and arrowheads as well as evidence of slag from smelting. Visitor facilities at

136-669: A continuity from the Wadi Suq period and are coarse, often large in scale. Another link to the Wadi Suq period was revealed when analysis of a bivalve shell dated to the Iron Age I period showed it had contained atacamite , a copper-based pigment used as eye make-up. Similar shells were found in a Wadi Suq burial in Sha'am , in Northern Ras Al Khaimah . Extensive evidence of Iron Age II settlement has been found throughout

170-434: A flaj (plural for falaj , the word used to denote waterways of this type in the United Arab Emirates ) water systems there to an Iron Age II date, further substantiating the attribution of the innovation of these water systems to a southeastern Arabian origin based on the extensive archaeological work of Dr Wasim Takriti around the area of Al Ain. The 2002 publication of a paper by Tikriti, The south-east Arabian origin of

204-455: A head of Heracles and a seated Zeus on the obverse, and bearing the name of Abi'el in Aramaic. These coins match moulds found at Mleiha which, together with finds of slag at the site, suggests the existence of a metallurgical centre. Contemporary Greek manuscripts have given the exports from Ed-Dur as 'pearls, purple dye, clothing, wine, gold and slaves, and a great quantity of dates' and there

238-684: A number of towers and other buildings offering protection to aflaj and the crops they watered. Hili 14 in Al Ain, Madhab Fort and Awhala Fort in Fujairah as well as Jebel Buhais near Madam in Sharjah and Rafaq in the Wadi Qor in Ras Al Khaimah are all fortifications dating to this time. Recent finds of pottery in Thuqeibah and Madam have further linked the development of early

272-400: A rich trove for archaeologists, with extensive finds of painted and spouted vessels, iron weapons and hundreds of bronze pieces. Enabled by the domestication of the camel in the region, thought to have taken place around 1,000 BC, Muweilah's trade included the manufacture of copper goods, with "extensive casting spillage from the manufacture of copper items found throughout the site". Muweilah

306-411: Is a strong history of trade between the coast and the interior. Similarities in burial rituals — of laying animals to rest with their owners — and vessels, decorations and small bronze snake figures have also been unearthed. Camels buried with their heads reversed are a common feature of both the animal burials at Ed-Dur and inland Mleiha. A trove of some 409 Hellenistic era coins was unearthed, stored in

340-644: Is intended in future to comprise accommodation, a campsite and an astronomical observatory, with a total investment of some UAE Dhs 250 million. It will also include the development of a 450 km desert park. The centre was developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). The widespread archaeological evidence unearthed throughout the Mleiha area dates back as far as the Palaeolithic period, some 130,000 years ago. This would place

374-400: Is relatively unique in its early and extensive adoption of iron goods, thought to have been imported from Iran. Hundreds of grinding stones indicate the consumption of both barley and wheat. Although now some 15 km inland today, it is thought that in its heyday, Muweilah would have been located on a khor or creek. The Iron Age II period also saw the construction of fortifications, with

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408-549: The Iron Age I period are centered around Shimal , Tell Abraq and Al Hamriyah on the West coast and Kalba to the East. Despite growing inland development, the Iron Age I diet still contained a large amount of fish and shellfish. Gazelle , oryx and domesticated animals (sheep, goats and cattle) also formed part of the Iron Age I diet, supplemented by the emerging widespread cultivation of wheat and barley. Iron Age I ceramics reflect

442-632: The Iron Age III period mirror those found in a number of Iranian sites of the era. The period from 300–0 BCE has been dubbed both the Mleiha and the Late Pre-Islamic period, and follows on from the dissolution of Darius III 's empire. Although the era has been called Hellenistic, Alexander the Great's conquests went no further than Persia and he left Arabia untouched. However, Macedonian coinage unearthed at Ed-Dur dates back to Alexander

476-535: The UAE, particularly at Muweilah, Thuqeibah , Bidaa bint Saud , as well as Rumailah and Qattara in Al Ain. The development of increasingly complex irrigation ditches and waterways, falaj (plural aflaj ) took place during this time and finds at Bidaa bint Saud and Thuqeibah date back to the Iron Age II period – pre-dating finds of qanat waterways in Iran . Early finds of aflaj , particularly those around

510-540: The United Arab Emirates The territory currently known as the United Arab Emirates was home to three distinct Iron Age periods. Iron Age I spanned 1,200–1,000 BCE, Iron Age II from 1,000 to 600 BCE, and Iron Age III from 600 to 300 BCE. This period of human development in the region was followed by the Mleiha or Late Pre-Islamic era, from 300 BCE onwards through to the Islamic era which commenced with

544-504: The United Arab Emirates as Case Studies , asserted that the attribution of the technology to Iranians in the early first millennium BCE is a position that cannot longer be maintained, and that the carbon dating of aflaj in Oman and the UAE to the ninth century BCE by Cleuziou and evidence for such an early date provided by Tikriti are definitive. Additionally, Boucharlat maintains that no known Iranian qanat can be dated to

578-576: The archaeological centre include the Bystro Café, a gift shop and a range of guided excursions. Tours are offered from the Centre to nearby attractions, including the popular 'Fossil Rock', or Jebel Mleiha. A range of horse-riding activities target beginners as well as advanced riders. The centre has an education outreach program and also offers discovery packages for families, as well as hosting groups and corporate events. Currently under development at

612-549: The centre is 'spray on roads'. The centre is open to the public weekdays from 9am-7pm and weekends (Thursday, Friday) from 9am-9pm. Mileiha Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.133 via cp1102 cp1102, Varnish XID 552962934 Upstream caches: cp1102 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 05:45:12 GMT Iron Age in

646-488: The centre site, the Al Faya Lodge is a small collection of luxury hotel rooms with a café, pool and spa, based around outbuildings first constructed in the 1960s. The Lodge forms part of 'The Sharjah Collection', a range of boutique hospitality locations managed by Mantis Hotels, a joint venture between Shurooq and Mantis Hospitality. One of a number of innovations being deployed to maintain the eco-tourism aspect of

680-430: The culmination of the 7th-century Ridda Wars . To some degree the term 'Iron Age' is misapplied, as little evidence exists for any indigenous iron-work outside the finds at Muweilah , themselves thought to be imports, and even the extensive evidence of smelting throughout the Iron Age found at Saruq Al Hadid is dominated by copper and tin production. Finds from the important site of Tell Abraq have been crucial in

714-416: The cultivation of dates and other cereal crops. An extensive fortified compound, 'Mleiha Fort', nearby the site of the present archaeological center, was discovered in the late 1990s and is thought to have been possibly the seat of an ancient South Arabian kingdom dating back to 300 BCE. The period from 300–0 BCE has been dubbed both the Mleiha period and the Late Pre-Islamic period, and follows on from

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748-453: The desert city of Al Ain , have been cited as the earliest evidence of the construction of these waterways. It is thought nearby Bidaa bint Saud became an important site during the Iron Age, both as a caravan stop and as a settled community of farmers that used the falaj irrigation system there. Two of these irrigation passages have been partly excavated at Bidaa bint Saud, with a number of sections remaining in reasonable condition. In one of

782-502: The dissolution of Darius III 's Persian empire. Although the era has been called Hellenistic, Alexander the Great's conquests went no further than Persia and he left Arabia untouched. Mleiha is strongly linked to the Ancient Near Eastern city of Ed-Dur on the UAE's west coast. Macedonian-style coinage unearthed at Ed-Dur dates back to Alexander the Great. Hundreds of coins were found both there and at Mleiha featuring

816-470: The division of the three Iron Age periods in the UAE. The Iron Age I period in the UAE immediately followed the Wadi Suq period , which ran from 2,000 to 1,300 BCE. The Wadi Suq people not only domesticated camels , but there is evidence they also planted crops of wheat, barley and dates. A gradual shift away from coastal to inland settlements took place through the period. The majority of finds dated to

850-439: The excavations, a number of sandstone-lined shaft holes were discovered, as well as a stepped underground access point and a large open cistern. Evidence of formerly irrigated land has also been found at the site. Rumailah, today part of Al Ain, was a major Iron Age II settlement dated from around 1,100–500 BCE. Finds at Rumailah include distinctive pottery adorned with snake patterns , similar to finds at Qusais , Masafi and

884-691: The falaj system , provided the first counterpoint to the long-accepted narrative, that the Qanat originated in Persia and was identified as such by accounts of the campaigns of the Assyrian King, Sargon II, in 714 BCE. Tikriti cites this and also accounts by the Greek second and third century historian Polybius as being the basis for academic attribution of the technology to Persia. He notes academics such as JC Wilkinson (1977) adopting an Iranian origin for

918-558: The habitation of the area firmly within the time when it is thought anatomically modern human communities first left Africa and started to expand globally. Later, as the last Ice Age gave way warmer climates, graveyards and adjacent settlements have been found which point to Neolithic communities who lived there from 11,000 years ago, with finds of tools at the location consistent with the Neolithic Ubaid or Arabian Bifacial tradition of 5,000-3,100 BCE. Civilization evolved during

952-729: The important Faya North East find, which provides evidence that ' anatomically modern humans ' were in the Mleiha area between 130,000 and 120,000 years ago. These finds point to the spread of humanity from Africa across the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf region, and onward to populate the world through Iran , India , Europe and Asia . The centre was opened on 24 January 2016 by the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi . The multi-phase eco-tourism development

986-579: The major Iron and Bronze Ages; metallurgical production centre at Saruq Al Hadid , as well as chlorite vessels decorated with turtles alternating with trees, similar to finds from Qidfa' in Fujairah, Qusais in Dubai and Al-Hajar in Bahrain . A number of Iron Age swords and axe-heads, as well as distinctive seal moulds, were also recovered from the site. A number of bronze arrowheads were also found at

1020-570: The pre-Islamic period. Evidence of Iron Age III occupation in the Emirates can be found at Tell Abraq, Shimal, Rumailah, Hili and Thuqeibah. Finds draw a strong cultural link with the Archaemenid Iranians and point to the area being the satrapy of Maka. Iron Age short swords from Qusais, Jebel Buhais and Rumailah mirror images of 'natives of Maka' found on the throne of Darius II at Persepolis , while ceramics found dating back to

1054-465: The settlement's original date of establishment at between 850 and 800 BC and it enjoyed a brief heyday before being destroyed in a fire around 600 BC. Constructed in the main from interlocked mud bricks and mud/stone brick walls, the walled settlement itself surrounds a large walled enclosure with seven buildings, thought to have provided living quarters as well as an administrative centre. This central building contained at least twenty columns and has been

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1088-471: The site. The Iron Age buildings found at Rumailah are typical of those found in the region, at Iron Age I and II sites such as Al Thuqeibah and Muweilah , with a number of row dwellings, although lacking the perimeter walls found at Thuqeibah. A columned hall at Rumailah provides a further link to Muweilah, while a number of pyramidal seals found there echo with similar objects discovered at Bidaa bint Saud. Radiocarbon dating artefacts found at Muweilah puts

1122-497: The succeeding Bronze Age from 3,000 BCE onwards, with elaborate communal tombs found at Mleiha, including the Umm Al Nar tomb, a feature is notable by its absence at the nearby necropolis of Jebel Buhais which otherwise represents uninterrupted evidence of human burial throughout the known periods of human settlement in the area. The centuries that followed witnessed the introduction of the underground falaj irrigation system and

1156-581: The technology under the influence of Sargon's annals and Polybius, but points out at least seven Iron Age aflaj recently discovered in the Al Ain area of the UAE have been reliably carbon dated back to the beginning of the first millennium BCE. Additional to finds of Iron Age aflaj in Al Ain, Tikrit pointed to excavations in Al Madam , Sharjah , by the French archaeological team working there, as well as by

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