Ancient Beginnings

From island camps in the Gulf to inland necropolises in the Hajar foothills — this section traverses the Neolithic, early Bronze and Iron-Age landscapes of the Emirates, exploring how people lived, traded and imagined their world.

Neolithic & Island Settlements (≈6000-4000 BCE)

Early stone-walled houses on islands such as Ghagha Island show coastal-based lifeways and fishing-economies. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Inland Necropolises & Tombs

Sites such as Jebel Buhais reveal burial traditions spanning the Bronze-Iron transition. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Bronze-Age Networks (3200-2000 BCE)

The Umm al‑Nar period and associated settlements mark peak trade and settlement organisation. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Falaj & Iron-Age Lifeways (1300-300 BCE)

Irrigation systems (falaj) and inland settlement expansion into arid zones. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Spotlight Sites

Ghagha Island (Abu Dhabi)

Discoveries of 8,500-year-old stone houses, shoreline lifeways and early settlement evidence. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

Jebel Buhais (Sharjah)

The oldest inland necropolis in the UAE, with burials from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

Tell Abraq (Sharjah/Umm al-Quwain)

A major Umm al-Nar settlement and fortress town marking coastal‐inland trade. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Media & Artefacts

S-001 Settlement Plan

Neolithic stone house layout, Ghagha.

T-014 Tomb Complex

Jebel Buhais necropolis chamber, Wadi Suq era.

O-033 Copper Axe

Early metallurgy from UAE Bronze Age.