As result of a second season of antiquary excavations in the archaeological site of Al Gharyein in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi, A’Sharqiyah North Governorate, exploratory teams unearthed a 5,000-year-old settlement.

This discovery was the outcome of joint cooperation between Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.

The excavation team was headed by Dr. Nasser Said Al Jahwari, Professor in the Department of Archaeology at the SQU College of Arts and Social Sciences. The team comprised Dr. Khalid Douglas and Dr. Mohammad Hussein.

The Al Gharyein site’s settlement boasts a unique organization and planning. It featured a tower structure, surrounded by multi-room dwellings, a cemetery with mass burial graves and the remains of other buildings.

Al Gharyein settlement is distinguished for its large buildings as large as 600-sqm each.

Besides its exceptional architectural styles, Al Gharyein settlement played a major role in the region, with manifestations of human activities such as early farming, herding, copper smelting and trade exchange, notably among coastal communities and Sindh country.