The department is running an exhibition on Sarouq Al Hadeed at the Heritage Village in Al Shindagha as part of the Heritage Events it has put together for the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF-2007). Interested can pick up copies of the booklet from Sheikh Saeed House in Al Shindagha heritage site complex.

The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, said: 'Only a small portion of the artifacts discovered from the site have been kept on display at the show. The results of six seasons of excavations conducted since 2001 have been phenomenal and future discoveries will confirm Sarouq Al Hadeed being one of the major archaeological sites in the Arabian Gulf. We have collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for this project.'

The Sarouq Al Hadeed site, buried under the desert sands, was accidentally discovered by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum when he noticed abundant metallurgical remains (slags) covering the surface.

Following his directions, the DTCM in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan initiated the project.

As a result of the six seasons of excavations carried out since 2001, it has been established that Sarouq Al Hadeed flourished during the 1st millennium BC as an industrial center manufacturing bronze and iron products in addition to gold and silver jewellery.

Sarouq Al Hadeed is one of the five archaeological sites in the emirate of Dubai. Stretching 13.75 square kilometers, the finds here date back to the Neolithic Period (7000-4000 BC) and the first millennium BC.

From the Sarouq Al Hadeed, the archaeological teams recovered huge quantities of bronze tools, grinding stones, carnelian beads, rings and fragments of soft stone vessels.

The excavations also led to the discovery of large settlements engaged in copper production.

Copper ore, slag heap, furnace fragments, copper ingots, large number of grinding and crushing stones found at the site, suggested that the site was one of the ancient copper-smelting villages in the region.

The booklet will help educate the residents and tourists about the emirate's glorious past and the unfaltering efforts underway to preserve the invaluable heritage for the benefit of the future generations.