Muweilah

A large, fortified settlement thought to have been occupied during the Iron Age II period (1,100-600BC),[1] the site has been explored by archaeologists since the discovery of pottery shards by a local resident[2] led to a French survey of the area in 1989 and archaeological work by an Australian expedition in 1994[3] It has yielded the oldest known example of writing found to date in the UAE, a pottery shard with an inscription, thought to be Sabean, with the letters 'bml'.

The first evidence of writing in the UAE was found in this site, on a piece pottery with the three letters of the South Arabic (B, M, L).

This central building contained at least twenty columns and has been a rich trove for archaeologists, with extensive finds of painted and spouted vessels, iron weapons and hundreds of bronze pieces.

[2] A terracotta camel found during early digs stands as the most complete find of its kind[11] and facsimiles of the piece currently decorate the gateway to the Sharjah Archaeological Museum.

Other finds from the site include items imported from Iran, Iraq and Yemen and indicate extensive trading links.