Church of the East monastery on Sir Bani Yas

[1] [2] In 1992 the remnants of an ancient buried building on the eastern side of the island of Sir Bani Yas were discovered, and through further excavations was found to be a 7th century Church of the East Christian monastery which operated for 150 years.

[7] the site is part of a series of Christian complexes across the Persian Gulf region including Kuwait at both Akkaz and Al Qusur on Failaka Island, at Kharg on the Iranian coastline and in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia at Jubail.

[5] Assessments by the team in charge of excavating the ancient Christian monastery concluded that the site was, at one time, home to about 30 monks from the Church of the East.

The visitor platform has a highly specialized design that is flexible and reversible, with the aim of providing effective and comprehensive protection against rain, heat, sand, wind and nesting birds, and includes a drainage system with an elevated pedestrian path, interspersed with explanation points that support the visitor’s understanding and appreciation of the site’s details.

Other improvements include a new access road with environmentally friendly, stable soil, and a new fence to keep out wildlife and sand, designed in harmony with the rest of the site.