WAM

Archaeologists excavated an ancient Christian monastery on the island of Al Siniya in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain. According to the Umm Al Quwain Tourism and Archaeology Department, the complex included a church, refectory, cisterns, and monks' cells. The announcement was attended by Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President and Chancellor of UAE University, and Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, Chairman of the UAQ Tourism and Archaeology Department. According to Sheikh Majid, the historical environment of Al Siniya Island contains some of the most important archaeological and tourist sites in Umm Al Quwain. He added that these serve as a living record of the various religious and multicultural societies that have settled on the island over the past centuries. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture, said that the archaeological discovery is of great historical and heritage value to the UAE. "The UAE government is making great efforts to protect and preserve the local heritage for generations to come in continuation of the approach adopted by the late Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan," she added. The discovery was made under the supervision of the Siniya Archaeology Project, a collaboration between the UAQ department of tourism and archaeology, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University in New York, the UAE University, and the Italian Archaeological Mission in Umm Al Quwain. Radiocarbon dating and analysis of pottery excavated at the site indicate that the community thrived between the late sixth and mid-eighth centuries, which means it could have witnessed the birth of the Islamic era. BKM/ Expat Media
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