Ed-Dur

Ed-Dur is an Ancient Near Eastern City located in Umm Al Qawain, UAE.[1] One of the largest archaeological sites in the emirates, comprising an area of some five kilometres, the coastal settlement overlooks the Al Beidha Lake. It has been dubbed 'one of the most significant lost cities of Arabia'.[2] It was first discovered by an Iraqi archaeological team in 1973 and first dug in 1974.[3] Subsequent digs have unearthed evidence of human habitation spanning the Ubeid period, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Pre-Islamic period. During the latter period the settlement appears to have been at its most prosperous and the hills of the were entirely covered with dozens of buildings and thousands of stone-built tombs. Some 500 of these tombs have been excavated,[3] with grave goods discovered including drinking sets, Roman glass, weaponry, pottery, jewelry and ivory objects.[4] It is thought some 20,000 tombs are on the site in all.[5]

The site has been associated with the inland historical development of Mileiha in the Emirate of Sharjah, with which it is thought to have had strong ties.[6] Similarities in burial rituals — of laying animals to rest with their owners — and vessels, decorations and small bronze snake figures have also been unearthed.[4] Camels buried with their heads reversed are a common feature of both the animal burials at Ed-Dur and inland Mleiha.[7]

Ed-Dur had a rich trading past, with artefacts found at the site showing links both with Mesopotamia and India.[1] Macedonian coinage unearthed at Ed-Dur dates back to Alexander the Great,[3] while hundreds of coins have been found bearing the name of Abi'el. It is thought Ed-Dur is the site of Omana, mentioned by both Pliny and Strabo as an important town in the Lower Gulf.[8]

Contemporary Greek manuscripts have given the exports from Ed-Dur as 'pearls, purple dye, clothing, wine, gold and slaves, and a great quantity of dates'.[2]

Sun Temple

One of the reasons for Ed-Dur's importance is the discovery of a temple to the Sun God, which has been compared to the Great Temple of Hetra in Iraq, also known as the "Temple of the Sun", dating back to the same period.[1] The temple was originally found by a Belgian expedition in 1987, but has been damaged since by erosion. In early 2016 a project was undertaken to restore the temple to its 1980s state.[9] A rectangular building, its main gate is located to the east and is preceded by columns mounted with Corinthian capitals. Two gates within the temple lead respectively to the main building and its courtyard. The Ed-Dur Temple differs from the Hetra Temple in the simplicity of its architecture and the geometric decorations to its external plaster. A pair of stone eagles, uncovered during an Emirati dig in 2015, are thought to have originally decorated the temple entrance.[3]

A rectangular basin, located in the north-east corner of the building, sits on a broad base with a nine-line inscription in Aramaic, of which only a sole word can now be deciphered, "Shamash", a reference to Shams, or the Sun deity.[5] A fire pit some 2.7m across and 1m deep has led to speculation of the use of fire in religious ritual.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Ed-Dur Site - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  2. 1 2 "Ancient Cities of the Emirates". Beyond Dubai: Seeking Lost Cities in the Emirates by David Millar. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "500 tombs dating back 2,000 years found in Umm Al Quwain". The National. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  4. 1 2 UAEINTERACT. "UAE Interact, United Arab Emirates information, news, photographs, maps and webcams". www.uaeinteract.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  5. 1 2 "Slowly solving riddles of the UAE's ancient ed-Dur". The National. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  6. ↑ Reporter, Faisal Masudi, Staff (2015-10-28). "Two ancient UAE towns linked global trade". GulfNews. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  7. ↑ Van Neer, Wim; Gautier, Achilles; Haerinck, Ernie; Wouters, Wim; Kaptijn, Eva (2017-05-01). "Animal exploitation at ed-Dur (Umm al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates)". Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. 28 (1): 11–30. doi:10.1111/aae.12080. ISSN 1600-0471.
  8. ↑ United Arab Emirates : a new perspective. Abed, Ibrahim., Hellyer, Peter. London: Trident Press. 2001. p. 55. ISBN 1900724472. OCLC 47140175.
  9. ↑ Saseendran, Sajila. "UAE rebuilding region's sun temple, brick by brick". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.

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