ARCHAEOLOGY-UAE: Ancient fortification discovered

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Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, Apr 8 2003 (IPS) - An enormous defensive wall has been discovered by archaeologists of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah. The discovery was made during a general survey in February.

Christian Velde, resident archaeologist, said the fortification is known to local people as "Wadi Sur". It was thought to be a dam erected to keep the Wadi Bah floods out of Shamal and Al Nakheel, according to a report in ‘Gulf News’.

A detailed examination of the fortification revealed it was built to fortify the area and originally consisted of a dam made from gravel with a mud brick-wall on top. The seven-km-long, two-meter-high dam ran from Al Nakheel to the so-called "Queen of Sheba’s Palace".

The enormous length is not the only impressive feature. The wall clearly shows the remains of round towers which were built on it. Around 50 towers looked over the area at intervals of 150 meters. However, only some have survived.

A ditch, at least two meters deep, runs in front of the wall. It is considered a further fortification measure, as it makes a direct attack more difficult and also doubles the height of the defensive wall, he explained.

It is a remarkable discovery, as archaeologists in the region do not know of any other defensive structure like this in southeast Arabia, said Velde. He believes the defensive wall was built to secure the fertile palm gardens of Shamal and Nakheel.

These gardens served as the main hinterland for the famous trading town of Julphar, which thrived between the 13th and 16th centuries A.D.

An excavation is planned soon to uncover the age of the structure, he said, adding there is much more work to be done on the wall to find out more about the history of the region.