Archaeologists may have discovered a lost ancient city once famous for its pearls off the coast of the United Arab Emirates – Chip Chick

On the island of Siniyah off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a team of researchers may have discovered a lost ancient city that was once famous for its pearls.

They uncovered a cluster of residential buildings that probably belonged to the city of Tu’am. It is the first time that archaeologists have found physical evidence of an older pearl fishing city in the Persian Gulf.

The city was mentioned in historical records, but its location has never been clearly determined. Until now, researchers thought that Tu’am was located in other regions of the UAE, but the finds on the island of Siniyah disprove this assumption.

The name of the island of Siniyah means “flashing lights,” which could be due to the effect of the white-hot sun shining in the sky.

The residential buildings identified by archaeologists were made of beach gravel and lime mortar. Some of the houses were smaller and cramped, while others were larger and more spacious, suggesting the existence of a social hierarchy.

Inside the structures were loose pearls and diving weights that helped people search for gemstones on the seabed.

Tu’am dates back to at least the fourth century and reached its peak in the sixth century. Scholars believe the city was once the capital of a coastal area now known as the United Arab Emirates. Ancient sources describe the settlement as an important pearl fishing center that produced high-quality products.

However, sometime in the sixth century, Tu’am went into decline. The main reasons for the city’s decline were regional tensions and an epidemic of bubonic plague that swept the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and other parts of Europe.

Eventually the city was forgotten. But the latest discoveries are bringing the lost settlement back to light. In recent years, archaeologists have also excavated a Christian monastery in the same area of ​​the island that is about 1,400 years old.

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