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The pre-Islamic monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island has now opened to the public, 20 years after it was first discovered |
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| Guided tour: Visitors to the site are told about the history of the monastery as archaeologists continue to dig |
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| From above: Rooms within the monastery become more obvious from the sky |
CHRONOLOGY
50-350 Christianity spreads throughout the Gulf region, following the trade routes to India and China.
Circa 600 Monastery at Sir Bani Yas is established; its use continues into the early Islamic period.
750 Monastic buildings are abandoned and begin to decay.
1820s British East India Company surveys the island and the waters around it, drawing attention to natural harbour (Meriton Bay). British sources mention pearl beds.
1930s Abandonment of villages on Sir Bani Yas Island after the collapse of the pearl trade.
1950s-60s Sir Bani Yas used by British Navy for target practice.
1971-2006 Island is privately owned by Sheikh Zayed and developed as wildlife sanctuary.
1991 First pieces of pottery discovered in former llama pens by a party from the Emirates Natural History Group.
1992-1996 Survey and excavations by Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey.
1996 Excavation ends.
2007 Island begins to be developed as a tourist resort.
2009 Start of a programme of excavation, conservation and development led by Tourism Development and Investment Company to enable the partly excavated monastery site to be displayed.
