<i><b>A Closer Look</b></i><b> is </b><i><b>The National's </b></i><b>show where we take an in-depth look at one of the main stories of the week.</b> The oldest pearling town in the Arabian Gulf has been discovered in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/umm-al-quwain/">Umm Al Quwain</a>. Announcing the major find on Monday, the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology said digs at the site this year have yielded evidence of a thriving 1,300-year-old settlement that predates the rise of Islam — with hundreds of houses and several thousand people. The discovery was made on <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/21/treasure-trove-of-artefacts-pushes-back-history-of-uaq-by-500-years/">Al Sinniyah Island</a>, close to the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/heritage/2022/11/03/ancient-christian-monastery-discovered-in-umm-al-quwain/">ancient monastery found last year</a>, and it is now believed the monks made their home next to this major pearling settlement. <i>The National</i>'s reporter John Dennehy speaks to host Sarah Forster about exactly what was discovered and why this is a major historical milestone. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/03/20/oldest-pearling-town-in-the-arabian-gulf-discovered-in-umm-al-quwain/" target="_blank"><b>Oldest pearling town in the Arabian Gulf discovered in Umm Al Quwain</b></a> <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2022/02/25/new-discoveries-are-allowing-us-to-re-learn-the-history-of-abu-dhabi/"><b>New discoveries are allowing us to re-learn the history of Abu Dhabi</b></a>