QURAYAT: An archaeological survey conducted in the Wilayat of Qurayat has uncovered a large number of archaeological and historic human settlements some of which date back to 3,000 years ago or more.
Dr Mohammed bin Abdulhamid al Hussain, Head of the Department of Archaeology, College of Arts and Social Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), who led the research team, said the current stage of the survey focuses on Al Mazarei village in the Wilayat of Qurayat and the surrounding areas. Archaeological evidence unearthed so far shows that human settlements in the area began in the iron age, some 3,000 years ago at the very least.
The buildings which were discovered at some sites provide evidence of the level of the architectural development back then as some of these settlements contained huge buildings with a great number of square rectangular chambers constructed of stones, he said. The current survey is part of a project that aims at surveying the endangered archaeological and historic landmarks of the Sultanate of Oman with funding from SQU and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, he said.
The head of the department of archaeology concluded that the project is aimed at documenting the archaeological sites in Muscat Governorate and drawing a risk map of these sites and making proposals on how to benefit from the archaeological and historic sites in sustainable development in line with Oman Vision 2040. — ONA
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