A cemetery dating to the Wadi Suq period and the Late Bronze Age, roughly 2000 to 1300 BCE, has been uncovered at the Qattara archaeological site in Al Ain, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi announced.
The burial chamber runs approximately 11 metres in length and 2.5 metres in width, and was used to inter hundreds of individuals over at least 1,000 years, spanning from the Wadi Suq period through to the Iron Age. Its entrance faces east, an orientation researchers believe allowed sunlight to penetrate the chamber during funeral rites, carrying symbolic meaning linked to renewal and the continuity of life.
Excavations also recovered a stone door weighing more than 200 kilograms, repurposed from an older monument, which appears to have served as a symbolic boundary between the living and the dead. The structure itself was built using stone blocks reused from earlier funerary structures dating to the Umm Al Nar civilisation, around 2700 to 2000 BCE, a detail that sets the find apart in terms of both its preservation and its architectural character.
Among the grave goods uncovered were ceramic vessels, weapons, and personal ornaments, all of which researchers say offer evidence of the social practices and belief systems of the period.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the department, said the discovery offers a rare window into one of the earliest chapters of the UAE’s history. “These archaeological finds affirm the importance of continuing our efforts to preserve and protect cultural heritage, and strengthen our connection to the founding stages that shaped our society,” he said.
The human remains and artefacts are now being studied by the department’s archaeologists and osteoarchaeology specialists using stable isotope analysis and ancient DNA analysis, with the aim of reconstructing patterns of health, movement, and trade among the ancient populations of the region.
Qattara is among the most significant archaeological sites in the UAE, with decades of excavations yielding finds across multiple historical periods, including collective burials from the Wadi Suq era and tower tombs from later periods. Al Ain itself holds UNESCO World Heritage status.
The artefacts from the Late Bronze Age cemetery will be put on public display at Abu Dhabi museums.
