Ancient cross dating back 1,400 years unearthed from Abu Dhabi’s Sir Bani Yas Island

History unearthed by the DCT Abu Dhabi team! An ancient cross from a 7th-8th century monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, our first major dig in 30 years. This discovery highlights the UAE’s legacy of peaceful co-existence. pic.twitter.com/XSP1m7Ul4y

— Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (@dctabudhabi) August 19, 2025

Similar to crosses found in ancient Iraq and Kuwait

According to archaeologists, the cross is similar to those found in Iraq and Kuwait, and is linked to the Church of the East, which originated in ancient Iraq.

“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. 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,” Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, DCT Abu Dhabi, said on Tuesday.

Sir Bani Yas Island’s Christian history

Sir Bani Yas Island, which is located off the coast of Al Dhafra Region in Abu Dhabi part of ancient churches and monasteries that emerged across the region, including Umm Al Quwain, Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in the sixth and seventh centuries.

Excavations in Sir Bani Yas Island

Excavations began on Sir Bani Yas Island in 1992 and the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS) has uncovered a church and a monastic complex occupied at the same time as the monastery from where the cross was discovered.

Excavations resumed in Sir Bani Yas Island in January this year, and the cross, which is 27cm long, 17cm wide and about 2cm thick, is the most significand find from there yet.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi has unveiled its latest archaeological discovery: a stucco cross found in the courtyard of a house belonging to an ancient monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island. The discovery is a reminder of the UAE’s rich history.#AbuDhabiCulture pic.twitter.com/7WSThilhRB

— Abu Dhabi Culture (@AbuDhabiCulture) August 19, 2025

Archaeologists are currently researching and exploring a group of courtyard houses near the monastery, where early Christian monks lived in retreat.

Sir Bani Yas church open to public

As part of restoration efforts carried out by DCT Abu Dhabi in 2019, the church and monastery, which are located within nature reserves home to gazelles and hyrax, are now protected by shelters.

The Sir Bani Yas church and monastery site has also been reopened to the public with a small exhibition of artefacts from previous excavations, such as glass chalices, a cross-shaped stucco, and a stamp seal with a scorpion motif.