Qumaira archaeological sites tell a million-year-old story

DHANK: Archaeological surveys conducted by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in cooperation with archaeologists from the Polish University of Warsaw in Ain Bani Saada continue in the town of Qumaira in Wilayat of Dhank in three settlement areas related to the Modern and Bronze Stone Age, and the Iron Age, which is a cemetery and residential and administrative buildings dating back to the second millennium BC.

The discovered monuments in the town of Qumaira are still telling stories about this historical area and its importance. The Ministry of Heritage and Culture has in recent years given importance to sending experts and specialists in history and heritage to the archaeological site, the most recent of which was the Polish Mission of the University of Warsaw, which began the process of exploration and study since 2016.

The mission managed over the past two years to obtain a clear vision through the existing buildings and know the nature of settlement that prevailed in the region, in addition to knowledge of the chronological date of these sites.

The Polish Archaeological Mission found its place in the archaeological collectibles in these buildings, which are considered fertile material for scientific research and investigation of the way of life in that period, especially as these cases are still in a good condition that allow researchers to study and analyse their components. The people of Qumaira have a clear role in keeping these collectibles without tampering or interference.

The archaeological discoveries included, in the site of Qumaira (1), one of the tombs of the second millennium BC. It is a mass grave containing four burial chambers, in which many skeletal remains were found, accompanied by many funerary artefacts, including pottery vessels, stone, masonry and canvases. The site of Qumaira 2 is the largest among these sites. It is a settlement consisting of several residential buildings built on stone foundations, a circular stone tower and a number of local and imported pottery fragments. The site of Qumaira (3) is a Bronze Age settlement that continued to be used during the Iron Age and the Late Islamic period.

The buildings of the settlement were built on stone foundations with complex sections. The 3rd settlement connected stone towers, one of which resembled the Rajum Tower, in the archaeological site of Bat, which is characterised by its winding ring wall.

About the reason of the good conditions of the archaeological sites in “Ain Bani Saada” and “the town of Qumaira” in good condition Shaikh Hamad bin Said al Sa’idi, Shaikh of the town, said: “The people were aware of the importance of these monuments, so they protected them from tampering and vandalism and avoided building on their ruins or in their surroundings. Those were the guidance from parents and grandparents and the situation continued as such until the Ministry of Heritage and Culture received these sites, and it paid full attention for them.”

He highlighted to Oman News Agency (ONA) the importance of these discoveries, which date back to the second millennium BC, some of which were saved by the parents and then moved to the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, directing the people to be responsible for the monuments of Oman and its history, and thanked the government institutions for their efforts and the concrete role which is carried out by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in taking care of the Omani antiquities.

He added that the archaeological buildings and the discovered remains are tombs and buildings.