Marawah Island shows signs of early life in Abu Dhabi Artefacts excavated on Marawah Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi, piece together a comprehensive picture of life in the United Arab Emirates 7,500 years ago

Archaeological discoveries from an ancient village on Marawah Island, located about 100 kilometres off the west coast of Abu Dhabi, reveal the presence of a sophisticated and skilled population that traded and thrived during the Neolithic period.

Neolithic Period
People living at that time on Marawah constructed stone houses, which are amongst the earliest such examples of architecture discovered in the Arabian Gulf. These people herded sheep and goats, and used stone tools to hunt animals like gazelles. Large quantities of fish, dugong, turtle and dolphin bones, as well as marine shells, suggest that seafood was the main part of their diet. There is also evidence they engaged in pearling, thus beginning a tradition that was to define the region for centuries to come.

Their knowledge of the sea also allowed them to engage in maritime trade, and it is possible that pearls harvested from the sea were an important part of this trade. Marawah has revealed the earliest complete ceramic vessel yet known from the United Arab Emirates. It was an import from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and is now on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Abandonment and reuse
At some stage, a few houses in the village were abandoned. One house was reused as a burial chamber for at least one person who is buried in a crouched position with the head facing east, similar to other known forms of burial from the Neolithic Period.