World's oldest natural pearl found in Abu Dhabi

Archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be the world's oldest natural pearl, on an island off Abu Dhabi.

The 8,000-year-old gemstone was unearthed on Marawah Island, which lies just off the coast of Mirfa town, about 170 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi city.

Using carbon dating, archaeologists from the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi deduced the pearl dates from 5,800 to 5,600BC.

Archaeologists believe the discovery proves pearls were used in the UAE nearly 8,000 years ago and it represents the earliest known evidence for pearling yet discovered anywhere in the world.

It follows a string of discoveries on Marawah over the past few years that revealed evidence of a sophisticated Stone Age village that once thrived on the island.

The people that lived there were no simple Neolithic nomads but knew how to navigate, herd sheep, fish, make jewellery and even create decorative art.

The pearl will now go on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi as part of the '10,000 Years of Luxury' exhibition that opens on October 30. It will eventually be housed at Zayed National Museum, which is being built on Saadiyat Island.

“The Abu Dhabi pearl is a stunning find, testimony to the ancient origins of our engagement with the sea," said Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT.

"The discovery of the oldest pearl in the world in Abu Dhabi makes it clear that so much of our recent economic and cultural history has deep roots that stretch back to the dawn of prehistory.

"Marawah Island is one of our most valuable archaeological sites and excavations continue in the hope of discovering even more evidence of how our ancestors lived, worked and thrived.”

Before this discovery, the earliest-known pearl in the UAE was uncovered at a Neolithic site in Umm Al Quwain and was believed to be 7,500 years old. Ancient pearls from the same time have also been found at a Neolithic cemetery close to Jebel Buhais in Sharjah. Carbon dating indicates that the Abu Dhabi pearl is older than both these.

The National