1000-year-old mosque discovered in UAE

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,000-year-old mosque close to the construction site of the Sheikh Khalifa mosque in Al Ain – making it the earliest yet discovered in the UAE.

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,000-year-old mosque close to the construction site of the Sheikh Khalifa mosque in Al Ain – making it the earliest yet discovered in the UAE.

The remains, which date back to the Abbasid dynasty, were found close to several falaj, or irrigation waterways, and comprise at least three buildings made of mudbrick.

Archaeologists from the UAE Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi discovered a mihrab – a niche in the wall of the mosque, nearest to Mecca – both inside and outside the building.

This means the faithful would have prayed inside and outside the mosque, just as they do today.

Fragments of pots, which were likely used for ablution, or ceremonial washing, and other ritual purposes, were found inside the remains and date from the ninth to the 10th Centuries CE.

Radiocarbon dating of one of the nearby falaj confirm that the mosque is the earliest yet discovered in the UAE.