There are few more iconic images of the Middle East than the
desert nomad leading a camel caravan across the dunes. Certainly
the nomadic culture of the Bedouin is integral to the region,
but this is only part of the story. As the study of an Iron Age
site in Sharjah proceeds - unearthing evidence of the early
domestication of the dromedary, the UAE's oldest example of
script and of a settlement model previously unknown in the
region - clues to a more complex story are being pieced
together. Camels are not only the proverbial ships of the
desert. The archaeologist Peter Magee, who has worked on the
Muwailah site since 1993, explains that camel husbandry was a
vital foundation for greater economic integration, fuelling a
transformation that contributed to the rise of seats of
civilisation such as Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo. While Al Ain
and Sharjah may appear humble settlements by comparison, their
development over the millennia was subject to social and
economic changes that were felt throughout the region.