Archaeologists on Sir Bani Yas Island announced the discovery of a 1,400-year-old gypsum cross measuring 27 cm long, 17 cm wide, and about 2 cm thick during the island’s first major excavation campaign in three decades. The field season, begun January 2025 under the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), followed rescue work carried out earlier in 2024.
The cross lay face-down in the floor of a monastic room. “When we turned it, we were surprised to see a beautifully preserved cross. It was one of the most important discoveries of this year’s mission,” said Emirati archaeologist Hager Al Menhali.
Carved in relief on a stucco plaque and molded in gypsum, the object matched crosses found in Iraq and Kuwait that belonged to the Eastern Church. Decorative floral patterns, dot motifs, and a stepped base thought to symbolize Golgotha reflected stylistic exchanges across the Gulf between the seventh and eighth centuries CE.
“The discovery of the Christian cross testifies to the values of enduring coexistence and cultural diversity in the UAE,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, according to Enikos. “These discoveries deepen our connection to the past while inspiring future generations to embrace the spirit of unity and mutual respect that has always characterized our community.”
Excavations on Sir Bani Yas began in 1992 under the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, uncovering a church and monastery that received protective shelters in 2019. Decades of fieldwork revealed continuous human activity on the island, located about 170 km southwest of Abu Dhabi city.
The current mission focused on a cluster of small courtyard houses north of the main church. Archaeologists interpreted the buildings as hermitages for monks and refuges for pilgrims or wealthy Christians on retreat. Visitors today can walk the monastery trail inside a wildlife reserve inhabited by deer, gazelles, wild rabbits, and hyrax, and a new multi-faith church beside the visitor center draws inspiration from the ancient complex.
Evidence shows a Christian community thrived on the island in the seventh and eighth centuries CE and later co-existed peacefully with early Muslim believers. Christianity had spread across the Gulf between the fourth and sixth centuries before declining regionally; researchers believe the Sir Bani Yas monastery was abandoned in the eighth century.
A small on-site exhibition already displays glass vessels, a stamp seal with a scorpion motif, and decorative gypsum fragments. The newly recovered cross will join the collection after conservation, while future research, including carbon dating, aims to clarify daily monastic life and the trade networks reflected in the artifacts.
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