Muweilah

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History of the United Arab Emirates
Bronze Age Magan civilization Umm Al Nar culture Wadi Suq culture Archaeological sites Mleiha Al Ashoosh Al Sufouh Ed-Dur Hili Saruq Al Hadid Shimal Tell Abraq
Iron Age Iron Age in the United Arab Emirates Archaeological sites Al Thuqeibah Bidaa Bint Saud Ed-Dur Muweilah Seih Al Harf Qattara Oasis Rumailah Saruq Al Hadid Shimal Tell Abraq
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Muweilah (Arabic: مويلح) is an archaeological site in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. it is located in what is now the suburb of Al Jurainah near Sharjah University City.

A large, fortified settlement thought to have been occupied during the Iron Age II period (1,100-600BC),^[1] the site has been explored by archaeologists since the discovery of pottery shards by a local resident^[2] led to a French survey of the area in 1989 and archaeological work by an Australian expedition in 1994^[3] It has yielded the oldest known example of writing found to date in the UAE, a pottery shard with an inscription, thought to be Sabean, with the letters 'bml'.^[4]

25°17′55.76″N 55°29′50.62″E / 25.2988222°N 55.4973944°E / 25.2988222; 55.4973944

Muweilah is considered to be one of the most significant Iron Age sites in the UAE. Excavations have shown the buildings within the site were damaged by a widespread fire. The first evidence of writing in the UAE was found in this site, on a piece pottery with the three letters of the South Arabic (B, M, L). Muweilah is one of the sites on the UAE's preliminary list to be nominated in the future to the World Heritage List. ^{[5][6][7][8][9]}