Mysterious ancient cross depicting site of Jesus' crucifixion rewrites Christian history
Archaeologists working at Abu Dhabi's Sir Bani Yas Island uncovered the artifact that features a stepped pyramid representing Golgotha, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, and leaves sprouting from its base.
It was found among the ruins of a church and monastery, suggesting a Christian community flourished on the island during the seventh and eighth centuries.
Christianity during this period was typically associated with the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Europe, making the discovery of a thriving community on a southeastern Arabian Gulf island both unexpected and historically significant.
At the same time, the region was undergoing profound religious change as Islam was rising and spreading rapidly across Arabia, while older pagan traditions lingered and Christianity was thought to be fading.
However, the presence of a flourishing Christian settlement here challenges that assumption.
Maria Gajewska, lead archaeologist at the site, said: 'Every element of the cross incorporates regional motifs.
'It tells us that Christianity in this region was not only present but flourished, adapting visually to its local context. We had settlements of Christians that were not just existing but were clearly thriving.'
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, called the discovery 'a powerful testament to the UAE's profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness,' adding that the find highlights a history of peaceful religious diversity in the region.
The excavations this season also uncovered pottery, glass artifacts and a small sea-green bottle that may have held oil or rosewater.
The cross is about 10.6 inches long, 6.7 inches wide, and roughly 0.8 inches thick.
Archaeologists believe it could have been an object of veneration and placed on a wall with worshippers kneeling before it.
Hager Al Menhali, an Emirati archaeologist at the department, told The National: The plaster was resting face down and something about it caught my attention.'
She added that a 'distinct fingerprint on the back,' speculating it was left by the person who crafted the stucco plaque.
Future studies will include radiocarbon dating and further exploration of the courtyard houses, which could eventually be incorporated into a broader visitor trail.
'These discoveries deepen our connection to the past and inspire future generations to embrace the spirit of unity and mutual respect that has long defined our community,' Al Mubarak said.
Evidence from the excavation suggested that senior monks may have lived in the courtyard buildings, walking to the church for services or using the spaces for spiritual retreats.
The well-built structures, made of limestone and coral with cisterns for water, indicate a comfortable existence rather than a purely hermitic life.
The Christian community belonged to the Church of the East, a branch that stretched from the Middle East to China.
The Sir Bani Yas discovery offers a rare glimpse into how Christianity not only survived but expanded eastward, linking Arabian Gulf communities into the wider story of the faith's spread toward India and Asia.
Evidence of a church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas, dating to the seventh and eighth centuries, was first uncovered in the early 1990s,
Another monastery, likely linked to the same church, was discovered on an island in Umm Al Quwain in 2022. Similar sites have also been identified in Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
Archaeologists are still investigating why the Sir Bani Yas settlement declined.
The church is believed to have been fragmenting before the rise of Islam, troubled by internal schisms as rival branches sought independence.
However, evidence suggests that early Christian and Islamic communities in the region communicated and traded peacefully. So far, no external event has been identified as the cause of the site's abandonment.
What is striking, archaeologists said, is that the buildings appear unusually clean, with little sign of collapse or rubble. This suggested the residents may have left intentionally, planning to return, rather than being forced out by disaster or conflict.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Egypt retrieves parts of 2,000-year-old sunken city off coast of Alexandria
Egypt has unveiled parts of a sunken city submerged beneath waters off the coast of Alexandria, revealing buildings, artefacts and an ancient dock that date back more than 2,000 years. Egyptian authorities said the site, located in the waters of Abu Qir Bay, may be an extension of the ancient city of Canopus, a prominent centre during the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years, and the Roman empire, which governed for about 600 years. Over time, earthquakes and rising sea levels submerged the city and the nearby port of Heracleion. On Thursday, cranes slowly hoisted statues from the depths while divers in wetsuits, who had helped retrieve them, cheered from the shore. Egypt's tourism and antiquities minister, Sherif Fathi, said: 'There's a lot underwater, but what we're able to bring up is limited, it's only specific material according to strict criteria. 'The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage.' The underwater ruins include limestone buildings that may have served as places of worship, residential spaces and commercial or industrial structures. Reservoirs and rock-carved ponds for domestic water storage and fish cultivation were also uncovered. Other notable finds include statues of royal figures and sphinxes from the pre-Roman era, including a partially preserved sphinx with the cartouche of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous and longest-ruling ancient pharaohs. Many of the statues are missing body parts, including a beheaded Ptolemaic figure made of granite, and the lower half of a Roman nobleman's likeness carved from marble. A merchant ship, stone anchors and a harbour crane dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman eras were found at the site of a 125-metre dock, which the ministry said was used as a harbour for small boats until the Byzantine period. Alexandria is home to countless ancient ruins and historic treasures, but Egypt's second city is at risk of succumbing to the same waters that claimed Canopus and Heracleion. The coastal city is especially vulnerable to the climate crisis and rising sea levels, sinking by more than 3mm every year. Even in the United Nations' best-case scenario, a third of Alexandria will be underwater or uninhabitable by 2050.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Archaeologists discover 1,400 year old Christian cross on Abu Dhabi island
Archaeologists have uncovered a 1,400 year-old Christian cross on a plaque at an ancient monastery on the Emirati island of Sir Bani Yas. The cross incorporates regional motifs, including a stepped pyramid representing Golgotha, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, and leaves sprouting from its base. Measuring 27cm long, 17cm wide, and 2cm thick, it is larger and more detailed than a cross found in the 1990s that first identified the location as a Christian site, according to The National. It was moulded onto a plaque thought to have been used by monks for spiritual contemplation and shows similarities with finds in Iraq and Kuwait and to the Church of the East. The Church of the East, which Christians formed part of, stretched from the Middle East to China. Christianity is thought to have spread and later declined in the Arabian Peninsula between the fourth and sixth centuries, with Islam and Christianity co-existing until the monastery's abandonment in the eighth century. 'We had settlements of Christians that were not just existing but were clearly flourishing,' lead archaeologist Maria Gajewska told The National. 'This was just lying there telling us, yes, they were Christian.' The 'extremely exciting find' is a rare marker of who lived there, Ms Gajewska added. The discovery comes during the first major excavation on the island in more than 30 years. The seventh-to eighth-century monastery was first discovered in 1992, revealing a church and monastic complex. Theories vary on its use, from housing senior monks to serving as a retreat for wealthy Christians seeking seclusion and prayer by lamplight. Archaeologists are now exploring nearby courtyard houses to better understand the lives of early Christian monks on the island. 'The discovery of this ancient Christian cross on Sir Bani Yas Island is a powerful testament to the UAE's profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness," Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi department, said. 'It stirs within us a deep sense of pride and honour and reminds us that peaceful coexistence is not a modern construct but a principle woven into the very fabric of our region's history.' Sir Bani Yas, about 170km south-west of Abu Dhabi, forms part of a network of contemporaneous churches and monasteries across the Gulf, including sites in Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Today, the monastery and church sit within a nature reserve, home to gazelles and hyrax, offering a glimpse into Abu Dhabi's ancient past. Restoration efforts in 2019 introduced protective shelters, visitor signage, and a small exhibition featuring artefacts such as glass chalices and a scorpion-stamped seal.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious ancient cross depicting site of Jesus' crucifixion rewrites Christian history
A 1,400-year-old plaque depicting a cross reshapes the understanding of how far east Christianity spread. Archaeologists working at Abu Dhabi's Sir Bani Yas Island uncovered the artifact that features a stepped pyramid representing Golgotha, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, and leaves sprouting from its base. It was found among the ruins of a church and monastery, suggesting a Christian community flourished on the island during the seventh and eighth centuries. Christianity during this period was typically associated with the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Europe, making the discovery of a thriving community on a southeastern Arabian Gulf island both unexpected and historically significant. At the same time, the region was undergoing profound religious change as Islam was rising and spreading rapidly across Arabia, while older pagan traditions lingered and Christianity was thought to be fading. However, the presence of a flourishing Christian settlement here challenges that assumption. Maria Gajewska, lead archaeologist at the site, said: 'Every element of the cross incorporates regional motifs. 'It tells us that Christianity in this region was not only present but flourished, adapting visually to its local context. We had settlements of Christians that were not just existing but were clearly thriving.' Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, called the discovery 'a powerful testament to the UAE's profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness,' adding that the find highlights a history of peaceful religious diversity in the region. The excavations this season also uncovered pottery, glass artifacts and a small sea-green bottle that may have held oil or rosewater. The cross is about 10.6 inches long, 6.7 inches wide, and roughly 0.8 inches thick. Archaeologists believe it could have been an object of veneration and placed on a wall with worshippers kneeling before it. Hager Al Menhali, an Emirati archaeologist at the department, told The National: The plaster was resting face down and something about it caught my attention.' She added that a 'distinct fingerprint on the back,' speculating it was left by the person who crafted the stucco plaque. Future studies will include radiocarbon dating and further exploration of the courtyard houses, which could eventually be incorporated into a broader visitor trail. 'These discoveries deepen our connection to the past and inspire future generations to embrace the spirit of unity and mutual respect that has long defined our community,' Al Mubarak said. Evidence from the excavation suggested that senior monks may have lived in the courtyard buildings, walking to the church for services or using the spaces for spiritual retreats. The well-built structures, made of limestone and coral with cisterns for water, indicate a comfortable existence rather than a purely hermitic life. The Christian community belonged to the Church of the East, a branch that stretched from the Middle East to China. The Sir Bani Yas discovery offers a rare glimpse into how Christianity not only survived but expanded eastward, linking Arabian Gulf communities into the wider story of the faith's spread toward India and Asia. Evidence of a church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas, dating to the seventh and eighth centuries, was first uncovered in the early 1990s, Another monastery, likely linked to the same church, was discovered on an island in Umm Al Quwain in 2022. Similar sites have also been identified in Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Archaeologists are still investigating why the Sir Bani Yas settlement declined. The church is believed to have been fragmenting before the rise of Islam, troubled by internal schisms as rival branches sought independence. However, evidence suggests that early Christian and Islamic communities in the region communicated and traded peacefully. So far, no external event has been identified as the cause of the site's abandonment. What is striking, archaeologists said, is that the buildings appear unusually clean, with little sign of collapse or rubble. This suggested the residents may have left intentionally, planning to return, rather than being forced out by disaster or conflict.
