Saruq Al-Hadid Archaeological Museum

Saruq Al-Hadid’s significance

Saruq Al-Hadid is one of the largest and most important Iron Age sites in the Arabian Peninsula and has become the jewel in the crown of Dubai’s archaeology. It is a site of international significance that offers an important opportunity to increase our knowledge of industrial activity, trade, and everyday life in Iron Age Arabia.

The site has produced extensive evidence of the working of copper alloys, gold and iron. Iron is particularly significant because evidence of iron working from this period is rarely found in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Museum Collections

The museum is dedicated to the display of artefacts from the Saruq Al-Hadid site, where excavation is still taking place, and new finds are made almost every day. The spectacular array of objects on display reveals the skill and artistry of the metalworkers who produced a wide range of metal goods, some in vast quantities.There are also more mundane objects that give us an insight into everyday life in the Iron Age.

The artefacts excavated from the site include a variety of bronze and iron tools and weapons. Some of these are beautifully decorated while others are unfinished, confirming that production did indeed take place at this site. Metalworker’s tools, such as a pair of measuring scales, show the care and precision with which they worked.

There are also fine examples of gold jewellery, thousands of beads, together with pottery, stoneware, and seals. Some objects have baffled even the experts perhaps visitors might have their own theories on what these mystery objects are!