Grand Tomb
Carvings at the door.
SUNILKUMAR NAIR — CC BY-SA 4.0 · SUNILKUMAR NAIR — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jaseem Hamza — CC BY 3.0 · Jaseem Hamza — CC BY 3.0
Hili Archaeological Park is a Bronze Age site in the Hili area north of Al Ain, about 11 km from central Al Ain in a straight line. It is the largest Bronze Age site in the UAE and part of the Cultural Sites of Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011. The site dates to the third millennium BC and includes settlements, tombs and an Iron Age falaj. Its best-known monument is the Hili Grand Tomb, a round stone structure 12 metres across that has been rebuilt, belonging to the Umm an-Nar culture. The settlement known as Hili 8, from around 3000 BC, has yielded some of the earliest evidence of oasis farming in southeastern Arabia, including wheat, barley and date palms. The round stone tomb stands in the middle of a green park among lawns and palm trees, its small doorway carved with human and animal figures. Around it lie the stone foundations of other tombs. The park is a quiet place for a walk, and the Al Ain National Museum in the city centre displays finds from the site. It can be combined with Al Ain Oasis and Jebel Hafeet in a single day.
Carvings at the door.
Lawns and palms.
The finds.
Hili, north of Al Ain city, Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE
At the Al Ain National Museum.
Al Ain Oasis and Jebel Hafeet.