Secrets of the Dunes

Step into the Arabian Peninsula’s history that stretches back 125,000 years, where evidence of the earliest known settlement and the first stone-built structures in the Emirates were unearthed On Marawah island, located off the coast of today’s capital, Abu Dhabi. The oldest human remains ever discovered in the Emirates go back some 8000 years.

The first communities in the Emirates did not just thrive on the coastlines, as we travel into the depth of the majestic desert, we discover that they invented ingenious ways to transport water and thrive in the arid environment 3000 years ago. In the town of Muweilah, we see the 3000-year-old ancient gathering place of traders, who met to discuss and agree deals, providing an enduring example of community-driven governance. In the city of Mleiha, a mighty kingdom was established 2000 years ago, we follow archaeologists who unearth a city of the dead, and we learn more about the terrible demise of Mleiha, 600 years after its rise.