8,000-Year-Old House for the Dead in Ancient Village Found in United Arab Emirates

An archaeological dig on Marawah Island, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the city of Abu Dhabi, has revealed the oldest use of stone-built architecture in the Arabian Gulf to date. The remains of one of Abu Dhabi’s first residents were found within the structure, which archaeologists believe was first used as a house for the living then one for the dead. They also uncovered the remains of an entire Neolithic village, the oldest in the region.

The house containing the skeleton has been radiocarbon dated back 8,000 years, according to the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA). Speaking to Dubai 92 Radio, Dr. Mark Beech, Head of Coastal Heritage and Paleontology at the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, explained why the findings are significant. He describes the house as very well-made, saying that the architecture used on the stone house is the first of its kind to be found in the Gulf region. He also called the building “special” and told the radio station that it consists of three interconnecting rooms.

Mohammed Al Neyadi, director of the TCA historic environment department told The National that the “partial skeleton was inserted into one of the already semi-collapsed rooms of the house, indicating that the structure had originally been used as a house for the living, and then later as a ‘house for the dead’.”