Dating back over 120,000 years, the first steps of man on the Arabian Peninsula marked a monumental transition in Paleolithic history, an era evocative of chiseled stone tools.
This migratory movement, from the Horn of Africa, is attributed to an interglacial phase. This epoch was characterized by ocean levels significantly lower than those of today, while the Arabian Peninsula enjoyed a markedly more humid climate. Between the African continent and what is today Yemen, the straits, dotted with islets, only measured two kilometers compared to the current thirty kilometers, thus facilitating the passage of hominids to new lands, notably the United Arab Emirates.
These pioneers had preferences for mountainous regions or coastal zones to settle. The archaeological site of Mleiha, located in the emirate of Sharjah, is one of the many silent witness you can find in the UAE of a period expanding from the Stone Age to Pre-Islamic Era . An other site to visit is in the Oasis of Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi at Hili archeological Park. Housing numerous graves dating from this era, the artifacts discovered – pottery from Iraq known as Ubaid, sea pearls, jewelry made with semi-precious stones from Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley – attest to the existence of exchanges with other regions, thus revealing their ability to navigate.
These early men were capable of crossing borders and maintaining sophisticated commercial relations.
