‘Oldest pearling town’ from 6th century discovered in Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf countries have had older pearling villages recorded in historical literature, but this is the first time archaeologists claim to have physically discovered one from that period.

“This is the oldest example of that kind of very specifically Khaleeji pearling town. It’s the spiritual ancestor of towns like Dubai,” said Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University.

A social hierarchy in the site

The village covers around 12 hectares and is located just south of that monastery on one of the island’s curving fingers (143,500…