Marawah
Encyclopedia
Marawah is a low-lying island
off the coast of Abu Dhabi
. The island is 15 km north of the Khor al Bazm lagoon along the Abu Dhabi coastline in the southern Persian Gulf
of the United Arab Emirates
.
limestone platforms linked by Holocene
sand and beach deposits and intervening patches of sabkha
.
Marawah is located 100 km west of the city and capital, Abu Dhabi. The island is around 13 km from east to west and about 5.5 km from north to south. There are three islands in proximity to Marawah: the small island of Al Fiyah to the west, the island of Junaina to the southeast, and the island of Abu al Abyad
in the east.
recorded its location in a nautical survey of the Persian Gulf.
In 1992, the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey
(ADIAS) completed a preliminary survey of the island. Archeologists identified 13 sites dating from the Neolithic
to the Islamic Period (12-13 AD).
In 2004, ADIAS discovered the oldest human skeleton ever found in the region amid the remains of Neolithic buildings and over 200 flint tools. DNA
was extracted from teeth that were recovered from the site, and it was determined that the remains were about 7,500 years old.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
off the coast of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
. The island is 15 km north of the Khor al Bazm lagoon along the Abu Dhabi coastline in the southern Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
Geology and geography
Current research indicates that the island was formed from relict PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
limestone platforms linked by Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
sand and beach deposits and intervening patches of sabkha
Sabkha
Sabkha is a transliteration of the Arabic word for a salt flat. Sabkhas are supratidal, forming along arid coastlines and are characterized by evaporite-carbonate deposits with some siliciclastics. Sabkhas form subaerial, prograding and shoaling-upward sequences that have an average thickness of a...
.
Marawah is located 100 km west of the city and capital, Abu Dhabi. The island is around 13 km from east to west and about 5.5 km from north to south. There are three islands in proximity to Marawah: the small island of Al Fiyah to the west, the island of Junaina to the southeast, and the island of Abu al Abyad
Abu al Abyad
Abu al Abyad is the largest of about 200 islands along the coast of the United Arab Emirates. It is situated in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Its area is...
in the east.
History
The west first became aware of the island around 1829 when the East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
recorded its location in a nautical survey of the Persian Gulf.
Archaeology
Although privately owned, the island is a key center of archeology.In 1992, the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey
Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey
The Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey was established in 1992 on the instruction of the late President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to survey for, record and where appropriate, excavate archaeological sites on the coast and islands of Abu Dhabi...
(ADIAS) completed a preliminary survey of the island. Archeologists identified 13 sites dating from the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
to the Islamic Period (12-13 AD).
In 2004, ADIAS discovered the oldest human skeleton ever found in the region amid the remains of Neolithic buildings and over 200 flint tools. DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
was extracted from teeth that were recovered from the site, and it was determined that the remains were about 7,500 years old.
External links
- Marawah, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey
- UAE History, 20,000 - 2,000 years ago
- UAE Interact, Map Room