Now at the northern edge of the Rub al-Khalil desert in southern Dubai, the town of Saruq Al Hadid specialised in copper smelting until the pre-Islamic period, about 300 CE. Archaeological teams began digging in 2002, and the site has yielded 3,000 year-old artifacts made from copper, bronze, iron, gold, and silver. Recent excavations revealed 2,600 metal objects including weapons, decorations, jewelry, and iconic or magical items like figurines of snakes. The majority are thought to have been made about 3,000 years ago, but mining and smelting metals had been conducted there as long as 1,000 years earlier.
     53 distinctively patterned clay seals represent the largest collection of Iron Age seals in the Arabian Peninsula. Animal, figurative, crescent, pyramid, and star designs demonstrate links with Mesopotamia, the Indo-Iranian area, and Egypt. Another collection of seals and pottery link the site with the Sumerians of Mesopotamia, while carnelian beads point to links with the Indus Valley.
     A three year program of archaeological fieldwork begun on the site in 2014 found early Iron Age artefacts carved in local woods such as acacia, ghaf , and sidr, but also items made from olive and pine wood, pointing to early trade with the Levant.
     The Saruq Al Hadid Archaeology Museum in the Shindagha heritage district of Dubai features collections associated with each of the items - metalwork, animal bones, snake symbols, and jewelry.

Edited from Ancient Origins (13 January 2020)