Mays Ibrahim (Al Ain) 

In the heart of Al Ain, the UAE's first museum is revealing chapters of the region's history that were buried for thousands of years.During a major redevelopment that began in 2018, construction work at Al Ain Museum unearthed a series of remarkable archaeological finds, including a 2,000-year-old tomb, numerous individual graves, and complex ancient irrigation systems known as aflaj.

"More or less straight away we found some very important archaeological remains on the site," Peter Sheehan, Head of Historic Buildings and Landscapes at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT), told Aletihad. "This led to a redesign of the museum to incorporate these elements into the new building."

The museum now features three dedicated archaeology galleries, where visitors can view Iron Age aflaj dating back 3,000 years and a late pre-Islamic tomb (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) believed to belong to an individual of high status.

The discovery of this tomb, along with nearby graves, suggests the presence of a substantial late pre-Islamic settlement centred around cultivated oases, according to Sheehan.

These graves, he added, contained artefacts such as gold jewellery, kohl applicators, weapons, and vessels that shed light on the funerary customs of the time.

"There seems to have been a kind of ritual feast associated with burial," Sheehan said. "People were buried with drinking vessels, indicating that the living honoured the dead with ceremonial practices."

The artefacts also provide insight into the wider connections of Al Ain's inhabitants, according to Sheehan.

Some glass bottles from the graves, likely originating in Alexandria, indicate long-distance trade, he said.

The ancient aflaj system on display at the museum offers insights into how communities in Al Ain managed their water to sustain agriculture in a changing climate. 

Aflaj Discoveries

Variations in these irrigation systems were recorded at different periods of time. As the centuries passed, water levels gradually declined, forcing communities to dig deeper wells.

Sheehan noted that Iron Age aflaj were typically five to six metres deep, late pre-Islamic channels reached around 10 metres, and by the 19th and early 20th centuries, wells extended to 15 metres.

The museum's architectural approach preserves these discoveries in situ.

Sections of aflaj channels are displayed under protective glass, allowing visitors to walk above them while observing their structure below ground.

A Growing Picture

Sheehan said that these finds are only the beginning of understanding Al Ain's past.

Excavations at the museum site also tie into a wider archaeological landscape. The aflaj channels and late pre-Islamic cemetery extend well beyond the museum grounds, with additional graves found some 500 metres east in downtown Al Ain.

Archaeologists continue to monitor nearby excavations and construction, adding each new find to a growing picture of the city's ancient settlement patterns.
Al Ain Museum was established n 1969 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE.

Its redevelopment expanded its area from 1,200 to 8,000 sq.m. It now includes 10 main galleries with interactive displays, a research centre, conservation laboratories, educational spaces, a reading room, and facilities for temporary exhibitions.