The Discovery of a Late Antique and Early Islamic Monastery on Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwain

The Discovery of a Late Antique and Early Islamic Monastery on Siniya Island, Umm Al QuwainSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/GH2FH4HL/tei

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2025-05-20-05:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.TimothyPowerMicheleDegli EspostiRobert G.HoylandRania HusseinKannoumaThe Discovery of a Late Antique and Early Islamic Monastery on Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwainhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/GH2FH4HLhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/GH2FH4HLhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/GH2FH4HLAdvances in UAE Archaeology: Proceedings of Abu Dhabi’s Archaeology Conference 2022OxfordArchaeopress2023307-330The proposed development on Siniya Island in the lagoon of Umm Al Quwain prompted an archaeological survey and excavation that brought to light a previously unknown Christian monastery. Radiocarbon and ceramic dates suggest that the Siniya Monastery flourished between the late 6th/early 7th and mid 8th centuries CE. The monastery consists of a (i) church and communal complex (refectory, cistern, baptismal font, kitchen, storeroom, etc.) with a (ii) neighbouring large double-courtyard building, interpreted as the ‘abbot’s house’/bishop’s palace, surrounded by (iii) outlying single- and double-roomed rectangular buildings, where the monks most likely lived, to which can possibly be added (iv) isolated anchoritic retreats including the possibly reuse of ruins. This pattern is consistent with the East Arabian monastic sites of al-Qusur and Sir Bani Yas, which conform to the cenobia or laura model developed in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. The present paper will outline the discovery of the monastery and provide an overview of its constituent architectural units together with a discussion of the phasing and dating. Power, Timothy, Michele Degli Esposti, Robert G. Hoyland, and Rania Hussein Kannouma. “The Discovery of a Late Antique and Early Islamic Monastery on Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwain.” In Advances in UAE Archaeology: Proceedings of Abu Dhabi’s Archaeology Conference 2022, 307–30. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2023. Timothy Power et al., The Discovery of a Late Antique and Early Islamic Monastery on Siniya Island, Umm Al Quwain, in Advances in UAE Archaeology: Proceedings of Abu Dhabi’s Archaeology Conference 2022 (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2023), 307–30.