Jabal Al Fayah, Archaeological site in Sharjah Emirate, United Arab Emirates
Jabal Al Fayah is a limestone hill near Sharjah with several rock shelters and excavated areas that reveal layers from different periods. The research sites show successive human occupations stacked one on top of another over thousands of years.
The site dates back around 125,000 years and represents one of the earliest records of human presence outside Africa. The layers document different phases of settlement as climate conditions allowed people to live in this region.
The site shows how people made and used different tools across long periods of time. Visitors can see how techniques and materials changed from the oldest layers to later periods.
Visitors should explore the site with guidance since the excavated areas are fragile and the location is open and sunny. Most of the artifacts and information about the excavations are displayed at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, which is accessible when visiting Sharjah.
The site contains three distinct archaeological assemblages that show people lived here during warmer climate phases. These periods span thousands of years apart and reveal how people returned to the region repeatedly over time.
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