Long-term human settlement in Al Faya, Sharjah, dating back to 125 thousand years

An international research project has revealed new scientific evidence confirming that ancient humans repeatedly settled the “Buhais Rock Shelter” in Sharjah over tens of thousands of years, in a discovery that reconsiders prevailing hypotheses about human settlement patterns in the southeastern Arabian Peninsula.
The results of the study were based on archaeological excavations in the “Buhais Rock Shelter”, located within the Al Faya site in Sharjah, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The study was published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications under the title “Evidence from the Buhais Rock Shelter of Human Settlement in the Arabian Peninsula between 60,000 and 16,000 years ago.” It is the result of an international research project led by Issa Yousef, Director General of the Sharjah Archeology Authority, and Dr. Sabah Jassim, Advisor to the Authority, in cooperation with Dr. Knut Bretzke from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, and Professor Adrian Parker from Oxford Brookes University. Along with researchers from the Universities of Tübingen and Freiburg in Germany.

The results of the study were based on archaeological excavations in the “Buhais Rock Shelter”, located within the Al Faya site in Sharjah, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These results added an important chapter to the history of human settlement in the Arabian Peninsula. They also challenge the scientific hypothesis that indicated that the region was largely uninhabited between 60,000 and 12,000 years ago as a result of the harsh climatic conditions during the late Ice Age, by expanding the known chronology of the Jebel Al Faya site to include this period in which Not previously documented.

His Excellency Issa Yousef, Director General of the Sharjah Antiquities Authority, said: The publication of this study constitutes an important step in enhancing our understanding of the early history of man in this region. Evidence extracted from the rocky shelter of Al-Buhais confirms that the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula was not just a migration corridor, but rather an environment to which humans returned, adapted and continued to live despite environmental changes.

The study revealed multiple stages of human presence at the site dating back to about 125,000, 59,000, 35,000, and 16,000 years ago. Documenting the last three periods is a qualitative addition that fills important gaps in the archaeological record of the region. Evidence confirms that the “Al-Buhais Rock Shelter” was not a site of transient settlement, but rather a recurring station for human activity, which reflects the ability of early human societies to adapt to environmental changes and return to the site over distant periods of time.

The study, supported by data on ancient environments within the Al Faya World Heritage Site, also showed that periods of settlement coincided with phases of increased water availability, which represents the first clear evidence of this pattern in the Arabian Peninsula during the period extending between 60,000 and 12,000 years ago, confirming the crucial role of environmental factors in enabling humans to settle in desert environments.

The southeastern Arabian Peninsula has long been considered a major corridor for early human migration toward Asia, but these findings provide solid scientific evidence of actual human presence in this region during multiple stages of human evolution, strengthening its position as a major focus in the global scientific debate about human migration and the formation of the first societies in Southwest Asia.

This study reformulates the scientific understanding of the nature of human settlement in the region, as it indicates that the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula was not always an uninhabitable environment, but rather witnessed periods of improved climatic conditions, with increased rainfall and the availability of water, allowing the emergence of environments suitable for life and supporting vegetation.

The “Buhais Rock Shelter” played a pivotal role in preserving this record. Its limestone formations provided natural protection, allowing layers of sediment to accumulate over thousands of years. Over the ages, these deposits formed in successive layers reaching a depth of about 1.7 metres, within which tools and archaeological finds were preserved.

By using optically stimulated luminescence dating techniques to determine when these layers were last exposed to sunlight, researchers were able to reconstruct a precise chronology of human presence and environmental changes. Combined with nearby sites such as Jebel Al-Faya, these discoveries contribute to highlighting the broad scientific importance of the ancient landscape of the Al-Faya region.

The “Buhais Rock Shelter” is located within the boundaries of the prehistoric cultural landscape of Al Faya, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025, and is part of one of the most important archaeological sites in the region.

This study builds on decades of research led by the Sharjah Antiquities Authority, including discoveries at the Jebel Al Faya site, which documented the presence of human activity in the area dating back more than 200,000 years.

Together, these results confirm the status of the ancient landscape of the Al Faya site as one of the most important records of early human presence in desert environments, and also highlight the contribution of the United Arab Emirates and the Emirate of Sharjah to enriching global knowledge of the history of human evolution and its ability to adapt and spread.

The study also reflects the depth of long-term research cooperation between the Sharjah Antiquities Authority and leading international scientific institutions, by combining scientific expertise and a shared commitment to preserving and interpreting human heritage.