Visit a fascinating archaeological exhibit and uncover stories from the UAE’s past at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum.

Ed-Dur: Glimpse into Civilization, is the first collaboration between Sharjah Museums Department and the Department of Archaeology and Heritage in Umm Al Quwain, and focuses on the historic development of two contemporary locations, Mleiha and Ed-Dur.

The exhibition, at Sharjah Archaeology Museum, was officially opened by HH Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ruler’s Office.

The items on display trace the historic relationship between the major inland settlement of Mleiha and the important coastal port of Ed-Dur.

You will see 79 artefacts – 69 from Umm al Quwain and 10 from Sharjah –  that provide a unique insight into the way the region evolved into a hub of transport and commerce linking east and west.

In 1974, an expedition from Iraq carried out an archaeological dig in Ed Dur, and their discoveries were followed up by many further digs during the 1980s and 1990s, which covered Ed Dur, Umm Al Quwain 2, Al Aq’aab Island and Tell Abraq.

In short, the findings of these expeditions indicate that man has inhabited Umm Al Quwain since ancient times. Archaeological expeditions in the second half of the twentieth century revealed that human existence on the coastal plain took multiple forms over the ages, as patterns of life adapted to a changing environment.

The remains of fishing tools and lustrous pearls, buried with their owners, for instance, found at Umm Al Quwain 2, point to complicated rituals practiced on the shore 7,000 years ago.

Alya Mohammed Al Ghufli, Managing Director of Umm Al Quwain Archaeology Center and Museum, added:

“This exhibition is a wonderful chance for people in Sharjah to learn about the shared history going back over several thousand years that unites the emirates and how this important period has shaped the modern UAE.”

Running alongside the exhibition will be a series of monthly workshops aimed at children and families, beginning in November. Participants will get to print their favourite hunting tools onto ceramic or create their own archaeological piece inspired by the exhibition.

Ed-Dur: Glimpse into Civilization will run until 26th March, 2016.

See also: The Drawings of Gibran Exhibit running at Sharjah Art Museum.