Discover the fascinating Buhais Geology Park in Sharjah

Learn the fascinating story of early human settlement and the natural formations that shaped our world at an open-air museum.

Sharjah: The UAE has several archaeological sites that uncover mysteries of past civilisations that inhabited the region, stretching back to the Neolithic Age (also known as the New Stone Age), marked by fixed human settlements dating back to 10,000 BC.

Buhais Geology Park in Sharjah is a historically significant site that adds valuable insights to the archaeological research of the Arabian Peninsula.

As an open-air museum displaying archaeological antiquities and remnants, the Park attracts experts, geologists, and researchers to understand the region's ancient inhabitants better and get a comprehensive picture of early human settlement in the UAE.

Buhais Geology Park offers a unique opportunity to observe and learn about the formation of local nature over 93 million years ago. The Park's collection of fossilised remains provides a glimpse into the lives of ancient marine creatures that once inhabited the shallow seas that covered much of the UAE's landmass. This attraction is currently showcased as part of the 'World's Coolest Winter' campaign, now in its fourth season, to promote unforgettable experiences to visitors.

Rich history

Buhais Geology Park was inaugurated in 2020 as a project in the field of ecotourism aimed at introducing visitors to the history of Sharjah's geology and the geological importance of Jebel Buhais and the archaeological areas surrounding it.

The Park includes two archaeological sites that have contributed to knowledge about the history of human settlement in this area, which dates back more than 200,000 years.

It houses geological features and fossils dating back millions of years, allowing visitors to view exhibits in the halls and wander around the garden on paths designed to showcase the formation of prominent geological features such as the Hajar Mountain range, other mountains, gravel plains, and dunes.

Buhais Geology Park won the Architecture Masterprize 2020 Award for Cultural Architecture (AMP), which celebrates creativity and innovation in architectural design, landscape architecture and interior design.

Tombs, weapons and pottery

Jebel Buhais, which rises around 340 metres above the neighbouring plains, is located near Al Madam, about 48km southeast of Sharjah.

The area contains an extensive cemetery of burial sites spanning the Stone, Bronze, Iron and Hellenistic ages of human settlement in the UAE.

Excavations in the area started in the early 1970s when Iraqi archaeologists discovered the remains of a stone fort atop the mountain's northeastern slope.

In 1990, the French archaeological mission excavated a group of seven structures visible on the mountain's southern slope.

Digs in three structures uncovered artefacts dating back to the first millennium BC. In contrast, excavations in the slope area below the stone fort revealed nine heavily defaced tombs and Iron Age artefacts.

Subsequent digs under the Sharjah Antiquities Authority, which ran over 11 years (1994 - 2005), uncovered 91 graves spanning different periods. Further excavations are still being done in the southern Jebel Buhais by a German mission.

The Jebel Buhais site houses archaeological finds that capture the life of ancient humans in the region, dating back 50,000 years.

Discoveries of the site and the surrounding area indicate the presence of nomadic herders in the eastern Arabian Peninsula during the Neolithic period, which far preceded the presence of the first settlements in the region.

The remains of the Neolithic burials have been carbon-dated to the beginnings of the 5th millennium BC.

Subsequent burials at Jebel Buhais represent the Bronze Age, with many distinctive graves discovered dating to the first half of the 3rd millennium BCE, up to the 'Wadi Suq' period dating to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC.

Other burials discovered in Buhais date back to the Iron Age in the first millennium BCE. Most graves during this period were simple ground pits for individual and group burials.

Inhabitants during the Iron Age also used the graves built in previous periods, besides the caves and rock shelters on mountain slopes that were utilised for burial after adding stone walls and converting them into stone.

Skeletons and other archaeological finds were found inside the caves, including Iron Age pottery vessels, metal utensils and weapons, and bronze spearheads.

The slopes of Jebel Buhais also hosted some graves dating back to the Hellenistic period, with glass vessels of unique shapes found inside them.

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