The National

It took almost seven years for archaeologists to find a section of a bronze statue excavated in Mleiha. Dating to 150BC, the small, wavy-haired figurine wears a kilt and holds a bird in one hand.

Archaeologists found the figure had links with Hellenic civilisation and dates to a period when the region was part of an international trade route that connected the kingdoms of Greece to Arab trade centres in Yemen.

“You cannot imagine how difficult it is to bring things together, to match them,” Mr Al Darmaki said. “We first saw half the object on the site and then after seven years of the excavation we found the other part.”

With the aid of large pictures and examples of research and excavation tools, the exhibition explains how items have been unearthed over the past 40 years.

Meticulous work helped researchers to prove that people lived in this region as far back as 125,000 years ago – the oldest proof of human life within the borders of what is now the UAE.

The museum has 90,000 rare artefacts including weaponry, jewellery, agricultural tools, crockery and coins.

The current exhibition showcases a horse bridle with embellished golden and iron discs and a portion of the bedrock on which it was found. Dating to between 150BC and 200AD, the relic reflects the wealth of earlier inhabitants and was found in a tomb in Mleiha, buried along with a horse and a camel.

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The exhibition, From Site to Museum – The Journey of an Archaeological Artefact, opened Wednesday and will run until September 7.