Archaeologists have potentially identified the long-lost ancient city of Tu’am, renowned for its pearl industry, on Siniyah Island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Umm al-Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology announced the discovery of ancient residential buildings believed to belong to this historical city.
Historical significance and recent discoveries
Tu’am, documented in historical texts but never precisely located, is now thought to have been situated on Siniyah Island. Previous theories placed the city in other parts of the UAE, but the recent findings challenge these assumptions.
“This is really exciting,” said Michele Degli Esposti, head of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Umm al-Quwain and a researcher with the Polish Academy of Sciences, in an interview with The National. “This site is incredibly promising.”
A flourishing city and Its decline
Dating back to at least the fourth century and peaking in the sixth century, Tu’am was a major center for pearl fishing. The city’s decline is attributed to regional conflicts and a bubonic plague epidemic that swept through the Near East, Mediterranean, and parts of Europe in the sixth century. The discovery of densely packed residential units on Siniyah Island may be evidence of this once-thriving settlement.
In recent years, archaeologists have also uncovered a pearling village and a Christian monastery in the same area on the island, indicating a larger and more significant settlement.
Tim Power of United Arab Emirates University emphasized the importance of this discovery. “Our archaeological work has discovered the largest settlement by far ever found on the Gulf coast of the Emirates,” Power told The National. “It’s from the exact period described in early Islamic geographical sources. This is clearly a significant site that no one had previously identified.”
Lost city of pearls: Christian influence
The settlement on Siniyah Island appears to have attracted Christian monks, who established a monastery between the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Tu’am is believed to have been a Christian settlement for about 200 years before the spread of Islam in the region.
The discovery of the ancient city of Tu’am on Siniyah Island not only sheds light on the historical significance of the area but also opens new avenues for understanding the cultural and economic history of the UAE. The ongoing archaeological work promises to reveal more about this lost city’s past and its role in the region’s history.