SIR BANI YAS ISLAND, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that archaeologists unearthed a rare 1,600-year-old stucco plaque featuring a Christian cross on the island of Sir Bani Yas near Abu Dhabi. The discovery was made during the first major excavation campaign at the site in over three decades, after a Christian monastery was first identified on the island in 1992. Current archaeological work at the complex is focused on a group of courtyard houses where the monks resided. The 10.5-by-6.5-inch plaque was likely used by monks for spiritual contemplation. The object features what appears to be an image of a small stepped pyramid that may represent Golgotha, the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified. The style of the cross resembles similar finds from Iraq and Kuwait, and is linked to the Church of the East, which has its origins in what is now Iraq. Christianity spread across the Arabian Peninsula from the fourth through sixth centuries. The Sir Bani Yas monastery was part of a group of churches and monastic complexes built during this period, but it was quietly abandoned around the eighth century. “The discovery of this ancient Christian cross on Sir Bani Yas Island is a powerful testament to the UAE’s profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness,” said DCT Abu Dhabi chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak. To read about a discovery on another island west of Abu Dhabi, go to "Around the World: United Arab Emirates."
