Ancient human habitation unearthed: 125,000-year-old settlement discovered at Buhays rock shelter in Sharjah | World News

A site believed to have been largely uninhabited between 60,000 and 12,000 years ago has been reassessed for years as new research uncovered evidence of multiple human occupations at the Buhais Rockshelter archaeological site in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about human habitation in southeastern Arabia and provide a clearer picture of how early humans adapted to changing environments. The study was published on Monday, March 23 nature communicationsled by Eisa Yousif, Director of the Sharjah Archeology Authority (SAA), and Dr. Sabah Jasim, Advisor to the Authority. The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Knut Bretzke from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Professor Adrian Park from Oxford Brookes University, as well as researchers from the Universities of Tübingen and Freiburg in Germany. title Evidence from Buhays Rock Shelter points to human habitation in Arabia between 60,000 and 16,000 years agothe study identified multiple phases of human presence at the site, dating to approximately 125,000, 59,000, 35,000 and 16,000 years ago. “The publication of this study marks an important step in our understanding of early human history in the region. Evidence from Buhays shows that southeastern Arabia was not just a gateway for early humans, but a place from which they returned, adapted and sustained life under changing environmental conditions,” Yousef said.

The findings are based on extensive archaeological excavations at the Buhays Rock Shelter located within Sharjah’s Faya ancient landscape, a site designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025. These results add an important new chapter to the early settlement history of the Arabian Peninsula and extend the well-established archaeological sequence of Jebel Faya into a previously undocumented time frame.

For decades, it has been widely believed that the southeastern Arabian Peninsula was largely uninhabited between 60,000 and 12,000 years ago due to the extreme drought of the last glacial period. The new study directly challenges this assumption. There is evidence that there was not a long-term absence of human activity, but rather repeated occupation at different times, suggesting that early humans were able to survive and return to harsh climatic conditions. The study does not represent a single phase of habitation but rather confirms multiple phases of recurring human activity at the site. While evidence of human presence dates back to about 125,000 years ago, the identification of three additional phases around 59,000, 35,000 and 16,000 years ago fills critical gaps in the region’s archaeological record. The findings provide a more continuous timeline of human presence in southeastern Arabia than previously understood. The study also draws on other paleoenvironmental studies conducted in the Falla paleolandscape. These data suggest that periods of human occupation coincided with periods of increased rainfall and water availability. These environmental improvements would support vegetation and create conditions suitable for human life, providing a clear explanation for the population’s repeated return to the site. This marks the first clear evidence from the Arabian Peninsula linking human settlements during this period to specific environmental conditions. The findings suggest that early populations not only passed through the region as part of migratory routes, but were also able to adapt to changing climates and sustain life over the long term. Buhays Rock Shelter itself plays a vital role in maintaining this record. Its limestone formations provided natural shelter, allowing layers of sediment to accumulate over thousands of years. These strata are approximately 1.7 meters deep and preserve stone tools and artifacts in a layered sequence, providing valuable insights into human activities at different periods. Using luminescence dating techniques, the researchers were able to determine when these layers of sediment were last exposed to sunlight. This method allowed them to reconstruct a detailed timeline of human presence and environmental change, providing a rare and well-preserved record of life in an arid region over tens of thousands of years. Southeast Arabia has long been viewed as an important corridor for early humans leaving Africa and entering Asia. The new findings provide empirical evidence that the region was not only a conduit for human evolution but also a site of repeated colonization during multiple stages of human evolution. This places the region at the center of ongoing scientific discussions about global human migrations and early population formation in Southwest Asia. Combined with nearby discoveries at Jebel Faya, which document human activity in the area over 200,000 years ago, the study reinforces the wider significance of the Faya paleolandscape. The site is now considered one of the most important and continuous records of early human habitation in an arid environment. The research also reflects decades of work by the Sharjah Archeology Authority in partnership with international agencies. This long-term partnership combines scientific expertise with a shared commitment to preserving and interpreting early human history. Mounting evidence from sites such as Al-Bhays and Jebel Faya continues to highlight the UAE and Sharjah’s contribution to global narratives of human evolution, adaptation and migration.