A team of archaeologists has recently discovered a 30-centimetre-long stucco cross in the United Arab Emirates, dating back at least 1,300 years.
The Christian symbol confirms that a group of houses unearthed decades ago was part of a monastery. The nine small courtyard dwellings were first discovered in 1992 on Sir Bani Yas Island, located 170 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.
Nearby, archaeologists had already uncovered a church and a monastery dating to the 7th–8th centuries CE, though it was unclear whether the dwellings were connected to the monastic site.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Maria Gajewska, an archaeologist with the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, in a video statement. “We never had concrete proof [the houses] were inhabited by Christians.”
The discovery of the plaster cross, she explained, demonstrates that “these dwellings were part of a Christian settlement.”
Senior monks probably lived in the houses, secluding themselves and praying, before reconvening at the monastery with their brethren, she said.
According to the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas is just one of several former Christian sites in the region from that period.
Christianity spread across the Arabian Gulf between the 4th and 6th centuries, before the rise of Islam in the early 7th century. Muslims and Christians lived together on Sir Bani Yas until the monastery was abandoned in the 8th century.
Archaeologists plan to continue excavations. The church and monastery site on Sir Bani Yas Island remains open to the public.
Photo: Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi / Source: Basilica.ro
