Hatta’s Ancient Landscapes Yield Their Secrets: Dubai Culture Convenes Global Scholars to Map the Suhaila Cultural Landscape

A gathering of international archaeologists and heritage specialists explores the archaeological riches of Hatta's mountainous terrain, establishing a scientific framework to protect and interpret one of Dubai's most significant historical sites.

The mountains of Hatta hold stories written into stone and soil, records of communities who shaped their lives around water, agriculture and the rhythms of a demanding landscape. This October, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority brought together archaeologists, researchers and heritage management specialists to examine those stories with scholarly rigour, gathering in the very terrain that shaped the people who once inhabited it.

The two-day scientific workshop centred on the Suhaila Cultural Landscape, a site whose archaeological significance speaks to the enduring relationship between the people of the UAE and their environment. The discussions ranged across settlement patterns, the adaptive strategies of ancient communities and the relationship between human activity and the mountainous terrain, drawing on recent excavations and surveys conducted across the site.

The programme brought an impressive constellation of international expertise to bear on the questions at hand. Jérémie Schiettecatte of the French National Centre for Scientific Research examined how fragmented archaeological knowledge might be woven into an integrated vision, drawing on the example of Al-Faw in Saudi Arabia. Abdulrahman Rashed Al Nuaimi, Head of World Heritage Sites Management at the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, shared lessons from the inscription and management of the Cultural Sites of Al Ain. Sadagat Davudova of Azerbaijan’s Reserves Management Center presented the experience of the Khinalig Cultural Landscape, while Martin Price from Insuco discussed the complexities of stakeholder engagement across heritage sites in Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

Within Dubai, specialists examined the character of the site itself. Dr Mansour Boraik, Antiquities Expert at Dubai Culture, offered an overview of the emirate’s archaeological landscape, while Hassan Zein, the Authority’s Chief Archaeology Specialist, focused specifically on Hatta’s settlement history. Afra Mahmoud Mohammed, Senior Wildlife Officer at the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, spoke to the mountain environment and its intimate relationship with patterns of human habitation and resource use.

The work aims at something more ambitious than academic inquiry alone. Field visits to Suhaila 1, Suhaila 3 and Hatta Falaj gave participants direct engagement with the archaeological features and environmental characteristics that distinguish the site. The discussions on conservation and site management, led by engineers and heritage specialists from Dubai Culture alongside international consultants, sought to establish not merely what the site contains, but how it should be protected, interpreted and managed. The goal is to create an integrated approach that links scientific research to conservation practice and draws together institutional expertise with the knowledge and participation of local communities.

Muna Faisal Al Gurg, CEO of the Museums and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, underscored the significance of this work. The Suhaila Cultural Landscape, she emphasised, forms part of Dubai’s historical memory, a tangible expression of how communities adapted to their environment and made use of its resources across different periods. Through rigorous scientific collaboration, Dubai Culture aims to deepen public understanding of the emirate’s archaeological heritage and help future generations grasp the value of such sites as records of the people who once inhabited the region. This commitment to archaeological conservation serves a wider purpose: strengthening Dubai’s presence on the global heritage map and ensuring that the knowledge embedded in places like Suhaila is preserved and shared.

As Dubai Culture continues to cultivate the next generation of cultural leaders and strengthen global creative partnerships, the work at Suhaila demonstrates a parallel commitment to understanding and protecting the historical foundations upon which contemporary culture rests. The workshop’s emphasis on international collaboration, scientific rigour and community engagement points toward a model of heritage stewardship that honours the past while serving the future.

Source: WAM