Umm Al Quwain Town Dates Back to 700 Years

Umm Al Qaiwain has a history that dates back for at least 700 years, new archaeological research on the island of Siniya has shown.

The research by (TAD-UAQ), has identified two coastal settlements on Siniya, opposite today’s town, the oldest of which dates back to the 13th or 14th Century.

Siniya Island is situated between the peninsula of Umm Al Qaiwain and the Gulf coast of the Emirates, protecting the Khor al-Beida lagoon. Around its shores is evidence of occupation over a period of at least 6,000 years, including sites from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods as well as the major site of ed-Dur, a port settlement that traded with the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago.

The recent archaeological work on Siniya Island has identified two neighbouring historic settlements. They are characterised by low mounds covered by pot sherds, representing the remains of collapsed stone buildings or oyster shell middens (rubbish heaps).

 

 

 

 

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The first town flourished between the 13th / 14th and 15th centuries. It can be dated by the presence of green-glazed pottery exported from China under the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.

Umm Al Qaiwain was previously thought to have grown up around the fort established by Shaikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla in 1768. The new discoveries therefore push back the history of settlement by as much as 500 years.