Given the mindless destruction of archaeological sites by ISIL, here is a reminder that the UAE has its own rich heritage of ancient sites far from harm’s way.
This is Umm An Nar, the earliest human settlement discovered near what is now the city of Abu Dhabi and photographed in 1972.
The structures are tombs from the Bronze Age as part of a culture that existed more than 4,000 years ago and was linked to Dilmun, the great trading city that dominated the Arabian Gulf in what is now Bahrain.
Umm An Nar had been known about for hundreds of years but was first examined in detail in the early 1960s by a team of Danish archeologists.
A gripping account of their work can be read in Looking for Dilmun by Geoffrey Bibby, the Englishman regarded as the founding father of Arabian archaeology, and still in print after 50 years.
The island of Umm An Nar is now also the site of an oil refinery and a military airbase, meaning the tombs are not accessible to the public, but otherwise they are unchanged from this photograph.
* James Langton
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
