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Church of the East monastery on Sir Bani Yas

Coordinates: 24°19′25.0″N 52°38′12.8″E / 24.323611°N 52.636889°E / 24.323611; 52.636889
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Aerial view of Sir Bani Yas Island

The Church of the East monastery on Sir Bani Yas is an archaeological site in the United Arab Emirates discovered in 1992. The site is significant as evidence of the presence of Christianity in the UAE in the pre-Islamic period. Believed to be Nestorian, the Christian community continued for at least a century after the arrival of Islam .[1] [2]

In 1992 the remnants of an ancient buried building on the eastern side of the island of Sir Bani Yas were discovered, and through further excavations was found to be a 7th century Church of the East Christian monastery which operated for 150 years.[3][4][5] The site consists of a church, a monastery and a series of courtyard houses, including dormitories, a kitchen, cells and burial sites. dating to the 7th and 8th centuries CE.[6] The monastery is believed to have housed between 30-40 monks. The complex was built around the sole burial found on the site. Archaeological finds indicate contact with Bahrain, India and Iraq.[7] the site is part of a series of Christian complexes across the Persian Gulf region including Kuwait at both Akkaz and Al Qusur on Failaka Island, at Kharg on the Iranian coastline and in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia at Jubail.[8]

In 1995, a site director of the excavation project discovered a Christian cross in the form of a small piece of plaster, identifying it as a Christian site by comparing it to ancient churches known from elsewhere in the Persian Gulf region.[5] Assessments by the team in charge of excavating the ancient Christian monastery concluded that the site was, at one time, home to about 30 monks from the Church of the East.[5] Stucco decorations were found including Nestorian crosses and vine and scroll motifs.[9]

The complex is the oldest Christian site in the UAE.[10]

Protection

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In 2018, the Department of Culture and Tourism began designing and implementing new solutions to protect the site, which would ensure the preservation of the archaeological remains of the site from current environmental risks, reduce visual and physical impact, and enhance the visitor experience.

The visitor platform has a highly specialized design that is flexible and reversible, with the aim of providing effective and comprehensive protection against rain, heat, sand, wind and nesting birds, and includes a drainage system with an elevated pedestrian path, interspersed with explanation points that support the visitor’s understanding and appreciation of the site’s details. The platform’s shading units are also manufactured with a roof made of Teflon (PTFE), a highly durable material that provides natural light and air, and are designed to be visually unobstructive to visitors, while they can be expanded in the future if new discoveries are made around the site. The platform is also equipped with artificial lighting to host evening tours.

Other improvements include a new access road with environmentally friendly, stable soil, and a new fence to keep out wildlife and sand, designed in harmony with the rest of the site.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Ancient secrets of Sir Bani Yas Island unveiled". The National. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  2. ^ Elders, Joseph (2001). "The lost churches of the Arabian Gulf: recent discoveries on the islands of Sir Bani Yas and Marawah, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 31: 47–57. JSTOR 41223670. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Pope's visit speaks to a 1,400-year-old tradition of Christianity in the Gulf". The National. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  4. ^ "UAE's oldest Christian site opened on Sir Bani Yas". Gulf News. June 13, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Oldest Christian site discovered in UAE reopens to public". The National. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  6. ^ "Sir Bani Yas Monastery: UAE's oldest Christian site opens to public". euronews. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Ancient secrets of Sir Bani Yas Island unveiled". The National. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  8. ^ Beech, Dr Mark Jonathan (1 January 2019). "The Church and Monastery of Sir Bani Yas - An Archaeological Site of the 7th and 8th centuries CE". Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) - Site Guide Booklet (38 pages). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Sir Bani Yas - ADIAS Guide". www.adias-uae.com. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  10. ^ "UAE's oldest Christian site opened on Sir Bani Yas". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  11. ^ ""صير بني ياس" تحتضن أقدم دير وكنيسة في المنطقة - صحيفة الاتحاد". 2023-02-18. Archived from the original on 2023-02-18. Retrieved 2024-10-18.

24°19′25.0″N 52°38′12.8″E / 24.323611°N 52.636889°E / 24.323611; 52.636889

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