The oldest occupations of this region were most likely located in the area that is now covered by the waters of the Arabian Gulf. Some 70,000 years BP (Before the Present) the last great Ice Age took place. The water of the oceans fell and the entire Gulf dried up, with only some great rivers flowing through the valley to what is now the Strait of Hormuz. The river system attracted both man and beast, and any people living in the area at that time would have concentrated on the banks of the rivers. Anything that was left behind as they hunted and roamed, is now covered by a 100 meters of seawater.

The first indications of human habitation in the area that is now the United Arab Emirates date back to about 8000 years ago. Flint artefacts found on gravel plains near Al Ain and fine flint tools found on the island of Merawah are evidence of man's presence in those days long ago. These Late Stone Age people were mainly hunters and fishermen. Their presence on the offshore islands was probably due to the easy access to fishing grounds and possibly also to the fact that turtles came to lay their eggs on the unspoiled beaches.

To get to the islands, they must have used boats that they constructed from materials at hand. One of the offshore islands (Dalma) has yielded the oldest known date stones that have been radiocarbon-dated to 4670 and 5110 BC.

The study of archaeology in the UAE started in the late 1950's with the discovery of the circular tomb on the island of Umm an Nar - a find so important that there is now a period in archaeology that is called the Umm an Nar period. Burial tombs of this period have been found also in Al Ain, at Hili. Pictoglyphs on the stones that were carved for the tomb give an interesting insight into events of 5000 years ago. The Hili tomb has one carving showing two people standing hand in hand beneath the arched necks of two Oryx, easily recognisable by their long back-curved horns. Another carving depicts two cheetahs tearing apart a gazelle. Cheetahs have since become extinct in the region, but in those days the plains at the foot of the Hajar mountains must have been green and full of wildlife.

Since those first discoveries, many archaeological teams from countries around the world have spent the winter months uncovering the UAE's early history. One of these archaeologists who have worked here from 1968 till the present day is Ms Beatrice de Cardi, a lady of incredible dedication and commitment. She and a chap named Brian Doe did a lot of archaeological survey work in RAK emirate. Other people involved in early excavations in RAK were Peter Donaldson, John Hansman and Major Tim Ash, formerly Trucial Oman Scouts and later adviser to Sheikh Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, in the 1970s, which was involved in bringing about most of the RAK archaeological activity in the 1970s. Later many different teams (Spanish, Danish, Japanese, Australian and French) swarmed all over the country giving their contributions. Little by little the pieces are found and fitted together to form a picture that is astounding.

Human occupation has occurred all along the coast since about 7000 years. These occupations consisted mainly of seasonal camps that are evidenced by shell concentrations and sometimes flint tools and weapons. During the Bronze Age (3rd Mill. BC) right up into the Iron Age (500 AD) there was an important occupation of Tell Abraq near what is now Umm al Quwain. A large fortification with wells within the fort walls and tombs along the outside were studied for some years until a border dispute between Sharjah and Umm al Quwain put a stop to the digs. What is interesting at Tell Abraq and applies to all occupations along the coast of that period is that they were obvious coastal settlements, yet nowadays the coast is many hundreds of meters away from the site. The waters of the Gulf must have been higher and reached further inland than they do now.