Cultural sites of al Ain
| Cultural sites of al Ain | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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Burial mound, Hafit ensemble |
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| National territory: |
 United Arab Emirates
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (iii), (iv), (v) |
| Surface: | 4,945.45 ha |
| Buffer zone: | 7,605.46 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1361 |
| UNESCO region : | Arabic states |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2011 (session 35) |
The cultural sites of al-Ain have been a serial UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United Arab Emirates since 2011 . Round graves around 4,500 years old, wells and adobe buildings as well as an Iron Age irrigation system in the oasis of al-Ain and the surrounding desert landscape were placed under protection .
There is a close cultural connection to other World Heritage sites in the region:
- Archaeological sites of Bat, al-Chutm and al-Ain (Oman),
- Aflaj irrigation system (Oman),
- Bam and its cultural landscape (Iran),
- Historic Shushtar Hydraulic System - bridges, dams, canals, buildings and water mills (Iran).
History of the oases
Neolithic shepherds and goat herders moved to Jabal Hafit because they found springs for their cattle here.
In the early Bronze Age people settled in the hinterland of this mountain that dominates the landscape. They were the builders of about 500 round graves (Hafit culture). According to the grave finds, they participated in long-distance trade with Mesopotamia, and al-Ain was probably a caravan station on the "Copper Road" at that time.
In the Umm an-Nar culture (Middle and Late Bronze Age), al-Ain was located on the trade route between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. As an important caravan station, the oasis was protected with watchtowers and fortifications.
Around 1000 BC BC it was possible to increase the agricultural area considerably with a special irrigation technique ( Aflaj ). (For ICOMOS, however, the fact that this development happened precisely in the oasis of al-Ain is an unproven hypothesis.)
Apparently, the oasis was continuously populated through all subsequent historical periods, although the archaeological traces are sparse. For example, there have been remains of fortifications connected with the conflicts between the princes of Omar, the Emirates and Arabia since the 17th century.
description
The seventeen world heritage sites numbered below are divided into four geographical groups: the Hafit Ensemble, the Hili Ensembles, Bidaa Bint Saud and the Oases.
Hafit ensemble
The Jebel Hafit is a landscape-defining element, surrounded by a red sandy desert, close to the green oasis vegetation. Traces of human settlement and flint stones from the Neolithic era have been found around this mountain .
In the Early Bronze Age (3200 - 2700 BC) the distinctive round graves of the Hafit culture were built, especially on the north and east sides of the mountain. They have a diameter of six to eight meters. A central tumulus in the form of a cairn is located within a massive curtain wall . These graves may originally have been up to four meters high, perhaps higher. The burial chamber was two to three meters tall and could contain several burials. These are the oldest stone buildings on the Arabian Peninsula. Since the burial mounds were visited and also used in later times, they are poorly funded.
The following ensembles have been designated as World Heritage:
- ( 1) Jebel Hafit Desert Park at the foot of the mountain, with 122 graves in an area of two square kilometers;
- (2) Northern group near Wadi Tarabat;
- (3) tumuli within the Al-Ain Wildlife Park ;
- (4) The West Ridge Hafit Tombs are the direct continuation of the aforementioned group towards the city;
- (5) Al Naqfa Ridge Tombs , a necropolis adjoining the modern cemetery.
Hili ensembles
The world heritage sites are located in a large area north of the modern city of al-Ain and date back to the Bronze and Iron Ages:
- (6) Hili Archaeological Park . The archaeological finds are embedded in an amusement park. It contains the remains of fortified adobe settlements and two large, partially restored circular graves. This is where artifacts came to light that were fundamental to understanding the Umm an-Nar culture. Outside the park area there are additional ground monuments, above all an underground water collecting tank and other elements of an Aflaj irrigation system, which dates from around 1000 BC. And represent the oldest known evidence of this technology.
- (7) To the west of the amusement park, the remains of a rather wealthy Iron Age village were uncovered.
- (8) Hili North Tomb A is a particularly large grave of the Late Bronze Age Umm an-Nar culture. Within the stone ring wall there were four burial chambers on two levels. A burial chamber was still intact. The archaeologists found the remains of about 20 people, ceramics, stone vessels, copper artifacts and pearls.
- (9) Hili North Tomb B is a somewhat less well-preserved tomb of the Umm an-Nar culture.
- (10) Rumeilah Site is located around three kilometers west of the park area: a settlement mound with a roughly 600 × 100 meter rectangle as its base. People lived here both in the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. Chr.
Bidaa Bint Saud
The eleventh site of the serial world heritage is a round rock formation about 25 kilometers north of al-Ain and 14 kilometers from the Hili Archaeological Park. Findings from the Iron Age suggest that there was a station on the caravan route here. There are numerous graves, mostly round and with stone surrounds, as well as remains of an ensemble of adobe buildings, water reservoirs and Aflaj irrigation system.
Oases
The six oases of al-Ain form a wide arch that opens to the east. The oasis economy began as a combination of homestead, well and palm grove, with other plants being grown in the shade of the palm trees. With the refinement of the irrigation technology (Aflaj), it was possible to expand the cultivation area. This technique is still in use with minor modifications. Today the oases are surrounded by the modern city. Date palms are still cultivated here, and the oases also serve as public gardens for the urban population. They are ecologically valuable and a cultural landscape that goes back to the Iron Age. The monuments in the oases mostly date from the 19th century. Many had military functions (fortresses, watchtowers), there are also markets and mosques.
- (12) Al Ain Oasis. It is considered the oldest oasis and has three fortifications: Murab'a Fort, a fort in the east (it houses the National Museum of al-Ain) and Al Jahili Fort.
- (13) Hili's oasis. Particularly noteworthy is Hemad Bin Hadi al Darmaki , a fortified homestead in the center of the oasis. It is said to date from the early 19th century.
- (14) Oasis of al-Jimi.
- (15) Oasis of al-Qattara. Among other things, there is a rectangular burial complex here, which is fundamentally different from the numerous barrows in the region. It comes from the Wadi Suq period (early 2nd millennium BC).
- (16) Mutaredh oasis. Among other things, there is a palace complex in the traditional style, but only built with cement in the middle of the 20th century.
- (17) Al Muwaji oasis. The palace in this oasis is traditionally made of adobe bricks and is on the site of an older fortress.
World Heritage Criteria
Criterion III
The world heritage sites of al-Ain are significant testimonies to prehistoric cultures from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. In this oasis the transition from hunters and gatherers to sedentary took place.
Criterion IV
The graves and buildings are outstanding evidence of the Bronze Age and Iron Age on the Arabian Peninsula (Hafit, Hili and Umm an-Nar cultures). The irrigation system ( Aflaj ) is particularly noteworthy as an early testimony to this technique.
Criterion V
The oasis landscape of al-Ain in the north of the Arabian Peninsula documents a way of life that was adapted to the surrounding desert and sustainable. This particularly applies to the careful use of water as a resource.
Integrity and authenticity
Seventeen cultural sites have been designated and placed under protection. The respective area is large enough to ensure the integrity of the sites. Documentation of all prehistoric findings in the oasis landscape would be desirable in order to find out more about the integration of the World Heritage sites in their context. The history of the al-Ain oasis before the 19th century has not yet been explored. As such, the archaeological sites are well embedded in the desert landscape, but the direct proximity to “anachronistic” new buildings (amusement park, modern buildings, hotels, streets) damages their integrity. ICOMOS criticized the fact that the rapid modernization that began in the 1960s had displaced apartments in general and workers' apartments in particular from the oasis, and had been replaced by lavishly restored palaces and adobe forts. This does not correspond to the grown historical appearance of an oasis.
The prehistoric sites were only uncovered in the second half of the 20th century and are therefore relatively authentic. However, some circular graves are partial reconstructions, which affects their authenticity. The Aflaj irrigation system does not date as a whole from the Iron Age, but was rebuilt in later periods. Research into these construction measures would show what continuities there are from Iron Age oasis agriculture to modern oasis use.
Protection and management of the world heritage site
The cultural heritage sites have been protected by several laws. In the modern city of al-Ain, for example, there is a height limit for new buildings to four floors, or twenty meters. Since it is a serial world heritage site, a framework plan ( Abu Dhabi Cultural Heritage Management Strategy ) is being developed.
Web links
- Cultural sites of Al Ain on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- Advisory Board Evaluation ( ICOMOS ): The cultural sites of Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) No 1343 , 2011. ( PDF )
Individual evidence
- ^ ICOMOS: The cultural sites of Al Ain. P. 131 , accessed on November 6, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d ICOMOS: The cultural sites of Al Ain. P. 128 , accessed November 6, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g ICOMOS: The cultural sites of Al Ain. P. 129 , accessed on November 6, 2018 .
- ↑ a b ICOMOS: The cultural sites of Al Ain. P. 132 , accessed on November 6, 2018 .