The Archaeological Sites of Bat Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn protect an important necropolis from the 3rd millennium BC. C., are located near a palm grove. They were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
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| Bat Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn Oman |
Description
Studies carried out in the last 15 years have shown the existence of numerous human settlements that extended from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
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| Bat Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn Oman |
Bat
The Bat site is located inside a palm grove. Around 3000 BC there was an intense trade in copper (extracted in the same place) and stone (probably diorite) with the Sumerians. Several Sumerian texts called it Dilmun, such as the Gilgamesh epic. The necropolis is made up of 100 tombs and circular buildings with a diameter of about 20 meters. These buildings did not have openings to the outside, so the hypothesis that they could be cisterns or silos is advanced, although their function is not known for sure.
In 1972, excavations by a Danish team led by Karen Frifelt showed that the city had been continuously inhabited for 4,000 years.
Al-Khutm
The ruins located in Al-Khutm are basically a stone fort, which is a tower made of rock with a diameter of 20 meters. It is located 2 km west of Bat.
Al-Ayn
Al-Ayn is a small necropolis. Of the three, it is the site in the best state of conservation. It is located 22 kilometers southeast of Bat.