Jumeirah Archaeological Site

Period: 9th to 18th Century AD

Location

The Jumeirah Archaeological Site is located approximately 12 kilometres northwest of Bur Dubai and more than one kilometre inland from the coastline.

The remains of this Islamic city include standing architectural structures and movable artefacts that illustrate the characteristics of Islamic urban settlements and highlight the region’s importance during the Islamic periods, particularly the Abbasid era. Eight buildings have been excavated to date, while the remaining parts of the city are still buried beneath the sand. The settlement once covered an extensive area, of which only three separate sections remain today. These sections have been preserved and protected, with the largest covering approximately 88,000 square metres.

Origins of Jumeirah

One of the most significant cultural transformations associated with the advent of Islam was the organisation and direction of creative activity, together with the adoption of social planning in the administration and development of cities. Their architectural forms were shaped to reflect the principles of the Islamic faith, replacing earlier pagan features with Islamic characteristics that dominate the surviving remains of the city discovered at Jumeirah.

The site’s earliest origins have been associated with the 10th century AD. Early excavators considered Jumeirah a commercial caravan station linking Oman with Ctesiphon in Iraq during the 5th and 6th centuries AD. It was subsequently resettled during the Umayyad period, in the 7th and 8th centuries AD, when some of the earlier buildings were modified.

The city’s strategic location was a key factor in determining its historical significance and economic value. Its architectural remains and archaeological finds provide evidence of artistic development, social sophistication and urban prosperity during the flourishing periods of Islamic civilisation.

Situated along the shallow shores of the Arabian Gulf and close to copper resources in the Oman Mountains, the city was well positioned to control maritime trade routes connecting Persia, Mesopotamia, Southeast Asia and China. These advantages supported extensive import and export activities, contributing to the city’s prosperity, architectural development and artistic achievements during the Islamic periods.

Architectural Features

Among the most significant and impressive buildings is a structure believed to have served as a palace or governor’s residence. It consists of two adjoining residential units, each with a separate entrance. The units are surrounded by two large courtyards, one to the north and the other to the south. These courtyards contain fire installations, service facilities and bathrooms equipped with drainage systems, arranged symmetrically in their respective corners.

The façades of the main entrances and the entrances to the interior rooms are decorated with geometric and floral motifs. Columns and rounded arches were also incorporated into the design, reflecting the economic prosperity enjoyed by the city. The building dates to the late 10th century AD and was reused during the later Islamic periods, particularly the 17th and 18th centuries.

The architectural remains suggest that Jumeirah was once a large city shaped by the characteristic features of Islamic urban settlements, including adaptation to the climate and natural environment and responsiveness to economic conditions. Rather than following a rigid geometric plan, the city appears to have developed primarily in response to its location, status and commercial importance.

The decorative arts found on the buildings and among the excavated objects display distinct Arab-Islamic characteristics, confirming the settlement’s Arab and Islamic identity. The discovered structures are particularly notable for their pink plasterwork and geometric decorations, which adorned doors, windows and the façades of major buildings. Numerous arches, vaults and columns have also been recovered from the ruins.

Archaeological excavations have so far revealed eight buildings, including some of the site’s most important structures:

• The Khan building

• The mosque

• The market building

• Residential houses

• Large buildings believed to have belonged to prominent members of society

Historical Significance

It is now widely accepted that the Jumeirah Archaeological Site, previously dated by early excavators to the 5th and 6th centuries AD and subsequently associated with resettlement during the Umayyad period in the 7th and 8th centuries AD, primarily dates to the Abbasid period, particularly the 10th and 11th centuries AD. The site remained inhabited during the later Islamic periods, including the 17th and 18th centuries.

The ruins of Jumeirah are among the most significant architectural discoveries in the United Arab Emirates, as they represent a substantially preserved Islamic settlement from the Abbasid period. Its architecture, urban forms and evidence of daily life reflect the character of Arab-Islamic civilisation. The city also represents a centre of economic development supported by both overland and maritime trade.

Evidence of copper, iron and glass production, gold jewellery and imported pottery from neighbouring regions, the Far East and Mesopotamia indicates that Jumeirah was an important commercial hub in the southeastern Arabian Peninsula during the 10th century AD. It continued to maintain its significance during the period of political fragmentation and the emergence of smaller states within the Islamic Caliphate.