ٱلرُّمَيْلَة | |
 Al-Rumailah Fort | |
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| Location | Al Ain,Eastern Region of theEmirate of Abu Dhabi, theUAE |
|---|---|
| Region | Tawam |
| Coordinates | 24°16′37″N55°45′32″E / 24.27694°N 55.75889°E /24.27694; 55.75889 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1,100–500 BCE[1][2] |
| Cultures | Umm Al-Nar[1][2] |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Rumailah (Arabic:ٱلرٌّمَيْلَة) is an archaeological site inAl Ain,Abu Dhabi, theU.A.E.,[1] as well as the site of a thick-walled coral and adobe fort, thought to date to the early 20th century.[3]
Located 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) west ofHili Archaeological Park, the rectangular mound at Rumailah is thought to have been home to populations dating back to the lateUmm Al Nar period, yielding buildings and artefacts from a more recent, majorIron Age II settlement dated from around 1,100–500 BCE.[1][2]
Finds at Rumailah include distinctive pottery adorned withsnake patterns, similar to finds atQusais andMasafi and the major Iron andBronze Age metallurgical production centre atSaruq Al Hadid, as well aschlorite vessels decorated with turtles alternating with trees, similar to finds fromQidfa' inFujairah,Qusais inDubai andAl-Hajar in Bahrain.
A number of Iron Age swords and axe-heads, as well as distinctive seal moulds, were also recovered from the site. A number of bronze arrowheads were also found. The Iron Age buildings found at Rumailah are typical of those found in the region, at Iron Age I and II sites such asThuqeibah andMuweilah, with a number of row dwellings, although lacking the perimeter walls found at Thuqeibah.[4] A columned hall at Rumailah provides a further link to Muweilah, while a number of pyramidal seals found at Rumailah find an echo with similar objects discovered atBidaa Bint Saud.[2]
Late Iron Age weaponry found at Rumailah (as well asQattara andBuhais) supports the theory that the area, once known to theSumerians asMagan, was known to theAchaemenids as the satrapy ofMaka. Evidenced both in inscriptions and texts fromPersepolis, Maka supplied troops toXerxes to fight in his army in 480 BCE according toHerodotus'Histories. Iron Age short swords with distinctive crescent pommels of a type found in Qattara are identical in form to that borne by the figure of a native of Maka carved inDarius II’s grave relief at Persepolis.[5]