Hafeet Mountain, Jebel Hafeet in Arabic, is located within few kilometers from Al Ain, south of Abu Dhabi Emirate. Geographically part of the mountain extends to the border boundary of Oman. The top of the mountain, however, which rises 1250 meters above the sea level, lies within the border of UAE.
At the foothills of the mountain there is natural water spring. The local government developed it into a tourist attraction comprising swimming pool and green meadows. The existence of the water spring is good indication that in the past the area of Hafit Mountain may have had more water springs and would have attracted prehistoric and historic communities to sustain around them. A highway is constructed to reach the top of the mountain.
Marine and fossils found in different areas of the mountain, such as calcifies corals, prove that in very ancient periods the entire area was covered by sea.
Archaeological surveys and excavations have revealed nearly six hundred beehive-shaped burials built of unshaped hard stone, within kilometres from the mountain. The close examination and field studies suggest that their actual date range from 3200-2800 BC. Thereafter, nearly one hundred of them were excavated by the local and foreign teams.
The most important discoveries from the long seasons of excavations were painted pottery ware painted with different subject matters.
The general shapes of the pottery ware and the painted schemes clearly suggest trade links between the ancient inhabitants of Jebal Hafeet and the Sumerian in Mesopotamia during the end of the fourth millennium and the begining of the third millennium BC.
Archaeological surveys within fifty kilometres north of the mountain have also revealed the existence of more archaeological sites attributed to later periods. Chief among them for example, is the site of Qatarah tomb, which was first excavated by a local team during early seventies of the last century. The results of the excavations indicate that the site comprise of elongated rectangular shape burials dug into the ground to a certain depth with an exterior of protruding stones. It cant be ruled out, however, that the burials were re-used more than once through long periods.
Numerous antiquities were unearthed through the course of excavation during the first season. The most important and distinctive discovery, though, was a small gold ornament depicting double-headed animal.
Further excavations at the site revealed different shapes and uses of pottery ware, bronzes and beads made of semi-precious stones. The different sort of beads were suggested that the ancient inhabitants of the site have had trade links with the eastern localities like the Indus Valley, where semi-precious stones are available.
Intensive excavations managed to unearth human bones, stone and bronze vessels, arms made of bronze such as arrowheads and spearheads, and good quantities of plain and pained pottery.
Studies have proved that those type of antiquities were in use over different periods for a long time. Therefore, they were good guides for similar burials found at Hili area later or those unearthed in different parts of the UAE and beyond.
The best examples of such burials in the United Arab Emirates, were found at Al Qusais in Dubai emirate, at Hili in Al Ain, in different parts of Ras Al Khaymah, Sharjah, and Fujarah emirates, and many of them were found reused as well.The Peninsula
