Bidaa Bint Saud – a heritage site in Abu Dhabi The ancient archaeological UNESCO Bidaa Bint Saud caravan site features Bronze Age tombs and a rare Iron Age building and irrigation system

One of the UNESCO treasures in Abu Dhabi is located 25 kilometres north of Al Ain – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bidaa Bint Saud contains a wealth of archaeological finds, including 5,000-year-old burial tombs, Iron Age (1300–300 BCE) irrigation systems, a rare Iron Age building and other artefacts that show the area was an important stop on a possible caravan route that extended from Al Ain to the north of the United Arab Emirates.

Iron Age irrigation
Although occupied since the Bronze Age (3000–1300 BCE), Bidaa Bint Saud became important during the Iron Age, both as a caravan stop and as a settled community of farmers that used the region’s distinctive aflaj irrigation system.

How does the aflaj irrigation system work? It taps water sources found underground and then delivers the water to fields via a system of ground-level and below-ground tunnels.

In Bidaa Bint Saud, two falaj systems have been discovered and partly excavated, revealing sections in quite good condition. For one of the excavations, several shaft holes were discovered, as well as an underground Shari’a (main access point) with steps leading down to it, and a large open cistern. These discoveries provide further evidence that one of the earliest known falaj systems was built in the United Arab Emirates. There are also systems in Iran, the wider region and in southern Europe.

Falaj building
Located adjacent to the main access point of the falaj, Bidaa Bint Saud archaeologists excavated a large mud-brick building. It contains a large hall measuring 10 x 13 metres. Some parts of the remaining walls stand up to 1.6 metres high. The roof is missing but appears to have been supported by 12 columns. Storage rooms were later added and were found to contain many storage jars.

The building’s purpose remains unclear, however, it was most likely used for administrative purposes to manage the distribution of falaj water.

Tombs
Along the eastern side of the outcrop are the remains of several stone tombs dating to the Bronze Age. Although they look like heaps of stones, excavations show that each heap conceals a hollow chamber surrounded by a ring wall with a narrow passage leading inside. Originally these tombs would have had domed roofs.

Despite being plundered in the past, excavations from these Iron Age tombs yielded a number of artefacts, including pottery and stone vessels, dagger blades, bronze arrowheads and different types of beads.