The magnificent cities are buried under the sand of Dubai desert

Beneath the desert sand of Dubai, today's modern city with magnificent architecture, is the once once prosperous city.

The magnificent and prosperous cities were once buried under the desert

Many archaeological ruins and ruins of ancient cities are being excavated. More than 100,000 years ago, when humans began migrating from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula , they spent millennia hunting and gathering, moving to farming and then turning this land into a center for bronze making. , technology changes the world. From here, the ancient people developed and built prosperous cities.

Map illustrated from the book The Desert Emperors of Oman published by Methuen in 1947. (Photo: Acient Origins)

Mysterious Magan land

5,000 years ago, a rare source of red copper was found in the area near the border of Oman today. Instead of living nomads based on hunter-gatherers, people began to learn how to exploit red copper and mix it with tin to create copper compounds.

" Magan Land " quickly became a supplier of tools and weapons for the entire Middle East region. Copper helps increase crop yields and form regional civilizations.

Many archaeological sites are excavated on an area of ​​more than 50 hectares in Hili, north of Al Ain city. The highlight is a very beautiful circular tomb, about 10 meters in diameter. Above the entrance to the grave are two African antelope carvings carved. Stones that are cut accurately to the point of dental floss will not pass through the slit. The wall around the grave is like a scaled-down version of the Inca giant's stone wall in Machu Picchu. However, the stone walls of the Incas were only built 500 years ago, while the tomb was 4,700 years old.

Iron Age cities

About 2,000 years later, iron replaced copper. The revolution in people's lives on the Arabian Peninsula began. Mleiha , a city near Al Dhaid and an hour's drive from Dubai, became the center of iron production.

During the heyday, Mleiha was one of the most populous cities in the region. Although it is only about 1.6 km wide, there are hundreds of houses and metal production areas that exist for more than 500 years since the Iron Age.

Iron is transferred from Mleiha to the coast Tell Abraq and Ad-Dur . Since then, they have been transported by ship to the Persian Gulf for delivery to guests in Mesopotamia and Eastern Mediterranean regions.

By the first century AD, the city was abandoned and forgotten. The wall was ruined and covered with sand. To date, some iron kilns have been excavated, restored and preserved.

Mleiha City, once one of the most populous places in the United Arab Emirates.Photo: David Millar

Tell Abraq and Ad-Dur are also two notable landmarks. For 2,000 years since Hili was occupied, Tell Abraq is a crowded residential area. Al-Dur is a large city on the coast, opposite the emirate of Umm al-Quwain today. The building blocks are still kept intact among the dunes here.

Julfar - famous medieval city

Julfar is the largest and most important port city in the southern Persian Gulf for more than 1,000 years. The period of the 10-14 century was the golden age of Julfar, as well as of the Arab maritime and trading industry. Arab navigators arrived in European waters before Europeans crossed the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf. Arab traders came to India, the Far East and China to trade all kinds of goods. Each of their trips can take up to 18 months.

Julfar has always been looked upon by the surrounding powers. The city was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Persians attacked in the 17th century. In 1750, the city fell into the hands of Qawasim in Ras al-Khaimah. So far, Ras al-Khaimah still exists but Julfar has sunk into oblivion.

Occupying 95% of the United Arab Emirates , the desert still hides many secrets. Important annual findings are gradually improving the picture of this country's history.

An archaeological team is excavating at Julfar, April 2010. (Photo: The National.)