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The Omani-Italian Archaeological Expedition at Al Tikha, a joint project between the Sultan Qaboos University and the University of Pisa started in 2022 with the aim to investigate the archaeological site of Al Tikha, strategically located in the Batinah plain, near modern city of Al Rustaq. The 2023 excavation season focused on seven distinct areas: settlements (Mound A, Mound B, Building S1, Building S2), a metallurgical site (Mound C), and the necropolis (T1, T2).

The site of Al Tikha is located on the eastern slopes of the Al Hajar Mountains, between Wadi Sahtan and Wadi al-Ghashab, approximately 42 km southwest of the Batinah coast and north of the modern city of Rustaq. First identified during the Rustaq-Batinah Archaeological Survey, it preserves evidence of occupation from the Umm an- Nar and Iron Age periods. Between 2022 and 2026, the Omani-Italian Archaeological Expedition — a joint project between the University of Pisa and Sultan Qaboos University, under the supervision of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism — carried out five field seasons aimed at investigating the settlement sequence and organization of the site. The 2026 campaign continued the excavation of the Umm an-Nar towers, the copper workshop area, and the associated settlement sectors, with the goal of achieving a more comprehensive understanding of architectural development, craft production, and spatial organization within the community. After five years, the results provide an increasingly detailed picture of the site’s internal layout, phases of occupation, and its role within the settlement dynamics of inland South Al Batinah during the 3rd millennium BCE.

Recent excavations carried out at Al-Ghoryeen (2018–2024), located on the western slopes of the Hajar Mountains in North Al-Sharqiyah Governorate, have uncovered a distinctive building (S3) dating to the early phase of the Umm an- Nar Culture (2800/2700 BCE). The structure was built with a certain and specific architectural layout, consisting of two symmetrical halves separated by a wall running along the building. One half includes a series of parallel, adjoining rooms that open onto a long corridor, while the other half contains fewer rooms, arranged differently from those in the adjacent section. The building is connected to a large courtyard enclosed by a massive wall. This architectural concept shows a remarkable similarity to Dahwa (DH1)—particularly in building (S10). Dahwa lies about 200 km northwest of Al-Ghoryeen, on the eastern slopes of the Hajar Mountains in North Al-Batinah Governorate, and dates to the middle phase of the Umm an-Nar Culture (2500/2400 BCE). What, then, is the spatial and chronological relationship between the two sites? And does the architectural similarity reflect a shared functional aspect of both buildings?

The Department of Archaeology at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT), has conducted the 3rd season (December 2022) of intensive excavations at the site of Al Ghoryeen in Wadi Andam region on the southern fringes of the eastern Hajar Mountains in the Northern Al Sharqiyah Governorate of Oman. It was excavated under the direction of Professor Nasser S. Al-Jahwari and Dr Khaled Douglas. Participants included colleagues and MA students from the Department of Archaeology at SQU (Dr Mohamad Hesein, Dr Nasser Al-Hinaei, Yaqoob Al-Rahbi, Yaqoob Al-Bahri, Al-Reem Al-Alawi, Suad Al-Harasi, Wajd Al-Zakwani, Buthainah Al-Ghofaili and Huda Al-Daihani) and the German Archaeological Instiute in Berlin (represented by Dr Kristina Pfeifer). The results of the excavation discovered the first and largest settlement in Oman dating back to the Early Bronze Age of Hafit period (ca. 3400-2700 BC).

The present study aims to investigate the archaeological site of Manaqi, located in the northern part of Al-Rustaq, and to highlight its significance within the broader context of Wadi al-Far, one of the principal valleys linking the foothills of the Western Hajar Mountains with the coastal plain of northern Oman. Through two excavation seasons conducted in 2024 and 2025, a number of architectural structures were uncovered, varying in both form and function, alongside a rich assemblage of archaeological materials, among which clay figurines and ceramic finds are particularly noteworthy. The importance of the Manaqi site lies in its integration within a wider settlement system extending along Wadi al-Far, encompassing sites such as al-Uqayriyah, al-Mazahit , and ancient Wibil. These sites collectively display architectural and material characteristics typical of the Iron Age II and III. Preliminary evidence suggests that Manaqi occupied a strategic position that enabled it to control the communication routes as well as the agricultural and economic activities connecting the Omani interior with the coast. The study adopts a comparative approach between the recent excavation results at Manaqi and the data previously recorded from neighbouring sites through archaeological surveys, with the aim of understanding spatial distribution, settlement continuity, and the functional relationships among sites within Wadi al-Far.

This paper explores the complex relationship between urban planning and social fabric in traditional Omani neighborhoods, using the Sima neighborhood in the Wilayat of Izki as a case study. The paper draws on a theoretical framework from the sociology of urbanism, utilizing the ideas of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens, to analyze how architectural and spatial planning embodies and reproduces social values. The methodology employs descriptive, interpretive, and analytical approaches using primary and secondary sources. The paper concludes that the Sima neighborhood constitutes an integrated socio-spatial system. The clustering of houses and their distribution reflect social hierarchy, while the internal layout of each house organizes family dynamics and gender roles. Central institutions such as the mosque and the market serve to reinforce social cohesion and build social capital. It became clear that urban planning in Sima – through the clustering of dwellings, house design, and the distribution of institutions such as the mosque and the market – was not merely a negative reflection of the social structure, but rather an active tool in shaping social hierarchy and strengthening community cohesion. This paper offers a valuable contribution to understanding local urban models and provides a framework for contemporary restoration and planning projects.

Numerous metallic artefacts, which anciently were deposited in a hoard, came to light per chance on the campus of the Sultan Qaboos University in Al Khawd, Sultanate of Oman. Mostly fashioned from copper, these arrowheads, axes/adzes, bangles, daggers, knives, socketed lance/ spearheads, metal vessels, razors, rings, swords, and tweezers compare well with numerous documented artefact classes from south-eastern Arabia assigned to the Early Iron Age (1200-300 BCE). Discussion of the international trade between ancient Makan, Dilmun, and Mesopotamia during the 3rd millennium BCE dominates the archaeological literature about Arabia archaeology. The Al Khawd hoard and its contemporaries lend weight to the suggestion that 1st millennium BCE Qadē (the name of south-eastern Arabia at that time) was even more important than Bronze Age Makan in terms of the copper trade volume. A reassessment shows the Early Iron Age by no means to be a dark age, but rather an innovative, successful adaptive period characterised by evident population growth

Archaeological excavation is a systematic method, providing direct and detailed information for the recovery of buried structures at archaeological sites. Its limitations are the labor-intensive nature of the implementation, the low rate of production and the disturbance of the stratigraphy. Applied geophysics provide several methods which are non-invasive and non-destructive... [Texte intégral conservé]

The Neolithic development of Oman represents a pivotal stage in Arabian prehistory, marked by shifts in mobility, subsistence, and landscape exploitation... [cite: 4]