World’s Oldest Pearl Found In Abu Dhabi
OLDEST PEARL – The oldest pearl in the world has been discovered off the capital of the United Arab Emirates in an excavation site at Marawah Island.
The pearl was said to be around 8,000 years old. Adding to this, it is also set to be displayed in Abu Dhabi.
Researchers believe that the oldest pearl in the world was proof that the objects have been traded since neolithic times. According to the Department of culture and tourism, the layers were carbon-dated to 5800-5600BC.
“The discovery of the oldest pearl in the world in Abu Dhabi makes it clear that so much of our recent economic and cultural history has deep roots that stretch back to the dawn of prehistory”, said its chairman Mohamed Al-Muabarak.
The excavation of the Marawah site was made up of collapsed neolithic stone structures. There were also ceramics and beads made from shell and stone as well as flint arrowheads.
With this, researchers have determined that the site was also the earliest architecture found in the country to date. Experts also believed that the pearls were used in trades with the Mesopotamians.
The research also showed strong evidence that the pearls were worn as jewelry. There were even accounts that Abu Dhabi was a source for pearls in the 16th century.
According to an article by The Guardian, it was a Venetian jewel merchant named Gasparo Balbi who mentions Abu Dhabi as an abundant source of pearls. However, the pearl trade collapsed in the 1930s.
The pearl was dubbed as the “Abu Dhabi Pearl” and will be shown in the “10,000 Years of Luxury” exhibit. The show opens on October 30 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
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