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Sharjah: 80,000-year-old tools found in Jebel Faya, showing early humans stayed in Arabia
Sharjah Ruler recently approved the boundaries of the Al Faya site for its Unesco World Heritage List nomination
Archaeologists have uncovered 80,000-year-old stone tools at Jebel Faya in Sharjah, providing groundbreaking evidence of sophisticated early human activity in the Arabian Peninsula and revealing a continuous human presence spanning 210,000 years.
The discovery gains additional significance as Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has issued an administrative decision approving the boundaries of the Al Faya site for its Unesco World Heritage List nomination.
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According to the decision, the location, boundaries, and area of Al Faya outlined in the approved map are officially nominated as a cultural heritage site.
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The archaeological findings, published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences journal, demonstrate that early Homo sapiens did not merely pass through Arabia but established long-term settlements, adapting to the region’s unpredictable climate and developing advanced toolmaking techniques.
The international research project was led by the Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) in partnership with universities in Germany and the UK, funded by the German Research Foundation and the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences.
The evidence links human presence to Marine Isotope Stage 5a (MIS 5a), a period of dramatic environmental shifts when monsoons from the Indian Ocean transformed Arabia’s deserts into green landscapes with lakes and grasslands.
What sets the Jebel Faya inhabitants apart is their sophisticated toolmaking technique called bidirectional reduction; it is a method requiring precise, strategic strikes to both ends of a stone core to create elongated blades and flakes.
“This wasn’t random knapping,” says Dr Bretzke. “Bidirectional reduction required foresight. It’s like a chef filleting a fish — each strike intentional, each angle calculated. The goal was to maximise material efficiency, preserving the raw stone for future use. It reflects deep environmental knowledge and an extraordinary level of cognitive skill.”
The multipurpose tools were designed for hunting, butchering, processing plants, and crafting additional implements, demonstrating that technology was both survival and culture for these early inhabitants.
Jebel Faya preserves a near-continuous archaeological record from 210,000 to 80,000 years ago — a rarity in Arabian archaeology. Using luminescence dating, researchers determined that early humans either continuously occupied or repeatedly returned to this site across different climate phases.
“The discoveries at Jebel Faya show that resilience, adaptability, and innovation are among the most defining traits of humanity,” said Eisa Yousif, Director of SAA. “These tools reflect a profound relationship between people and their land. As we advance our efforts to nominate the Faya Palaeolandscape for UNESCO recognition, we are reminded of how our shared past continues to shape who we are and who we may become.”
Ruqayya Al Qaydi
Ruqayya Alqaydi is a Special Correspondent with a newborn by her side and an endless curiosity to learn. Like a journalist on a caffeine overdrive, she is fuelled by passion and on a mission to uncover every gem in the UAE.
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