Muscat – The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT), in cooperation with a Polish mission from the University of Warsaw, has discovered an ancient city dating back to the 1st millennium BC in Dhahirah.

A statement issued by MHT said, ‘Excavations carried out at the Ain Bani Sa’ida archaeological site, now in the sixth season, resulted in finding remnants of an ancient city, which dates back to the 1st millennium BC of the Iron Age.’

Dr Peter Belinski, from the University of Warsaw, said, “We discovered a small ancient city, reflecting the social situation that occurred at that time. A decorated pottery bowl made by hand was also found at the site, which is one of the first whole ceramics found.”

According to Belinski, besides the bowl, other pottery vessels, ladders and cooking stoves were also found at the site. He added that when the villagers left the site, they probably took with them the small pottery vessels and left the larger ones that were used to store water and grain. Dozens of such vessels were found at the site.

However, the mission was unable to find out how the inhabitants of the village prepared food. “But we do know how they stored their food.”

Belinski added that the inhabitants fetched water every morning in large vessels for the entire village. “The inhabitants may have sent women to do this task and all the food was stored in rooms, which means that we can calculate the number of inhabitants by counting the number of rooms and places to make fires.”

“It is likely that the big house belonged to the sheikh. We do not know if he was considered a sheikh or had another name, but a leader or ruler lived there with his family, unlike others who lived in humble accommodation.”

Ali bin Khamis al Sudairi, director of the Heritage and Tourism Department in Dhahirah, said that this site has a historical connection with other archaeological sites such Bat, Salut and Dahwa in Saham.

“It is closely linked to these ancient archaeological sites,” Sudairi said.