World's oldest pearl, nearly 8,000-years-old, found in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Oct 20: An 8,000-year-old pearl that archaeologists say is the world's oldest will be displayed in Abu Dhabi, according to authorities who said Sunday it is proof the objects have been traded since Neolithic times.
The natural pearl was found in the floor of a room discovered during excavations at Marawah Island, off the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which revealed the earliest architecture found in the country.
The oldest natural pearl in the world is less than a centimetre long. Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
"The layers from which the pearl came have been carbon dated to 5800-5600 BC, during the Neolithic period," Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism said.
"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, which is made up of numerous collapsed Neolithic stone structures, has also yielded ceramics, beads made from shell and stone, and flint arrowheads.
The "Abu Dhabi Pearl" will be shown for the first time in the exhibition "10,000 years of Luxury" which is opening on October 30 at the Louvre Abu Dhabi -- the outpost of the famous Paris museum.
Emirati experts believe that the pearls were traded with Mesopotamia -- ancient Iraq -- in exchange for ceramics and other goods. They were also likely worn as jewellery.
"The Venetian jewel merchant Gasparo Balbi, who travelled through the region, mentions the islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi as a source of pearls in the 16th century," the culture department said.
The pearl industry once underpinned the economy of the United Arab Emirates, but the trade collapsed in the 1930s with the advent of Japanese cultured pearls, and as conflicts rocked global economies.
Instead, the Gulf nations turned to the oil industry which dominates their economies to this day.
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Neha Hiremath's family takes centre stage at Amit Shah's campaign meeting
Hubballi: In turn of events at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's campaign rally, the family of Neha Hiremath, who tragically lost her life, took to the stage to demand justice. The incident happened during Shah's Lok Sabha election campaign speech in Hubballi.
Neha's parents, accompanied by her brother, met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah prior to the commencement of the campaign meeting. Expressing their demand for justice, they were seated on the platform adjacent to the event stage.
Amidst speculation and discussion, Neha Hiremath's father, Niranjan Hiremath, a member of Hubli's Congress party, shared the stage with BJP leaders, garnering attention and raising questions about the arrangement of seats for Neha's family at the BJP's campaign event.
The presence of a member from an opposing political party on the stage of the Union Home Minister's campaign rally, alongside the stringent security measures in place, has sparked debates regarding the orchestration of the event.
