Jebel Hafeet beehive tombs

Jebel Hafeet beehive tombs are more than 500 dome-shaped burial structures made of stacked stones, forming a sprawling cemetery at the mountain's base. The tombs rise individually from the ground, each one a stone dome a few meters tall, creating a distinctive landscape of ancient burials.

These tombs were built between 3200 and 2600 BCE during the Bronze Age Hafit Period. Skeletal remains and objects inside suggest people who traded with distant regions like Mesopotamia and Iran.

The tomb chambers show how early communities built burial structures using circular stone walls stacked without mortar. Visitors can see the simple but effective construction methods that people used for their dead.

Reaching the tombs requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle to travel unpaved roads near the Mezyad border post. Plan your visit during cooler parts of the day, as the site sits in open desert with limited shade.

Archaeologists found imported Mesopotamian pottery, stone beads, and metal weapons inside the burial chambers, showing how far these trade routes extended. These objects reveal that people here were part of a wide trade network more than 4000 years ago.

Location: Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Part of: Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas)

GPS coordinates: 24.15720,55.76000

Latest update: December 6, 2025 17:48