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Caught between the poles of remembering and forgetting, glorification and neglect, the abandoned mudbrick settlements (ḥārāt) of Oman are a vital object of conflicting processes of interpretation and negotiation. Adopting a diachronic perspective, the multi-disciplinary book’s chapters examine their past, present and future. The book presents approaches and results of archaeological, ethnographic, historical and sociological research on abandoned ḥārāt. Oman’s landscape is dotted with abandoned mudbrick settlements and quarters, known as ḥārāt, either isolated in the countryside or surrounded by vibrant, modern urban centres. Most of them were abandoned during the economic upturn and opening of the country after Sultan Qaboos bin Said came to power in 1970. People’s move from traditional mudbrick to modern concrete houses led to the deterioration and decay of the physical substance of the mudbrick buildings. In the face of these conditions, various Omani and international actors have repeatedly warned against the uncontrolled loss of this valuable cultural heritage. The former inhabitants of the mudbrick houses and their descendants have also repeatedly emphasised their emotional attachment to these abandoned places and their personal significance to them. At the same time, others, especially tourists, have glorified the dilapidated state of the ruins as an aesthetically beautiful backdrop for a romanticised vision of the past. This was the starting point for the interdisciplinary research project “The abandoned mudbrick settlements of central Oman: Between romanticisation and neglect”, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation as part of the “Lost Cities” programme between 2020 and 2022, and conducted by the editors of the present volume. It constitutes the proceedings of the closing conference of the project, in which team members present their results and leading experts give their input on inhabited, abandoned and re(dis)covered mudbrick settlements in the Sultanate of Oman.

The project is focused on exploring the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age (EBA) occupations of Ras Al Jinz RJ-3. This site remained un touched until recent excavation efforts by Time of Magan, revealing that during the Umm an-Nar period, RJ-3 likely constituted a part of a larger settlement in conjunction with RJ-2, situated across the bay. Findings from five seasons of excavation suggest not only the existence of craft-centred zones during this era, but also evidence of earlier settlements associated with daily life. The project’s goal is to gather new information from these settlements, thereby highlighting the way of life of southeastern Arabian communities. The study of village life, social interactions, activity organisation, and economic diversification at the community level, will provide new insights into the factors that led to the EBA complexification, and will help determining the influence of local and foreign contributions. Fur thermore, the excavation of RJ-3 concludes a comprehensive series of investigations into the EBA occupations of the bay, illuminating a pivotal complex where both settlement evidence and funerary remains have been meticulously examined. New explorations in the bay will also contribute to the museumification of Ras Al Jinz and support its nomination for inclusion in the UNESCO Heritage List.

During the 6th season of investigations, the Omani-Polish expedition researched previously unexcavated sites in the micro-region of Qumayrah in the Al Hajar Mountains: QA 20, located near Ayn Bani Saydah, and QB 2, near the village of Bilt. The exploration at QB 2 uncovered a substantial Umm an-Nar settlement, offering insight into its layout and architecture, despite the challenges of removing layers of stone rubble. Additionally, the preliminary documentation of a round stone structure, likely of Umm an-Nar origin, was undertaken at QB 6. QA 20, an Iron Age II hilltop site, revealed an unexpectedly advanced organisation of space, resembling urban planning more than a rural settlement, challenging previous assumptions.

Project VirtuHalban investigates an Early Bronze Age funerary site at Halban, on an elevated coastal terrace where the Al Batinah coastal plain meets the Hajar Al Gharbi mountain ridge. These well-preserved monumental tombs, some reaching heights of over four metres, are significant markers of their era. Research suggests that the Halban tombs may span two distinct periods: the Hafit period (c. 3100-2600 BCE) and the Umm an-Nar period (c. 2600-2100 BCE), indicating a transition in tomb design during the Bronze Age. The project also investigates building techniques and materials employed in tomb construction, potentially having cultural or chronological significance. Excavation of tomb HAL021 during the 2023 season yielded valuable insights into its contents, including small beads and human remains, providing potential clues about the people buried in the tomb and their cultural practices. To enhance documentation, the researchers used 3D/virtual recording techniques, allowing for precise spatial mapping and the creation of 3D models and panoramas.

The project aims at enriching the debate on the nature of the settlement sites, the emergence of socio-economic complexity and the human-environment relationships in the Southern foothills region of Oman in the Early Bronze age. It is based on an extensive survey, a geoarchaeological and hydrological study in the region comprised between Al Arid and Bat (UNESCO site), and excavations at the recently discovered site of Al Arid (15 km NW of Bat). The approach is holistic and interdisciplinary and relies on specialists from the CNRS and universities, post-doctoral researchers and students. The team is composed of archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, hydrologists, biological anthropologists, geophysicist, archaeobotanist, specialists of pottery (formal typologies, physico-chemical and petrographic analyses of pastes), Geographic Information Systems and photogrammetry. After four seasons of work, we know that Al Arid was inhabited during two main phases: in the Early Bronze age and the Late Islamic period. In the Bronze age, the site appears as a regionally important centre. The discoveries are varied and sometimes exceptional: 7 towers concentrated on 25 ha, a material, local and exogen, including a superb copper alloy axe; from the beginning of the Bronze Age it seems: a copper metallurgical workshop, a canal for diverting the course of the wadi and 99 Hafit-type tombs among them two have been excavated ; dated to the Umm an-Nar period: a settlement sector (including a house that has been completely excavated), 9 tombs. These discoveries allow us to consider that communities lived there, on a recurrent, if not permanent basis, very early in history, relying on irrigation, a mastery of copper technology and exchanges with the coastal region and Mesopotamia. The mission is also heavily involved in the protection and enhancement of the region’s heritage, working alongside the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism on the Visitor Centre project of Bat.

Bologna University has a long tradition of research activities in the Sultanate of Oman, with investigation in the coastal area of Sharqiyah and more recently in the project of Al Khutm tower in the area of Bat (Al Dhahirah Governorate). The fieldwork of the campaign 2022-2023 was carried out at Al Khutm investigating the outer area of the tower characterized by a monumental stone wall. The archaeological complex appears now more valuable with a unique outline of defensive and entangled structures. Several finds, including pottery, softstone and metal, are defining the starting of the construction at the end of 3rd mill. BCE. At Ras Al Hadd the Italian team is currently involved in the excavation of the early 3rd mill. BCE cemetery around the settlement of HD-6. Several clusters of cairns as part of two main cemeteries named HD-7 and HD-10 were identified in previous research. Among dozens of burial structures, the current investigation concerned the group 12 of HD-7 cemetery and three cairns were excavated. The preliminary results show the regional character of cairns with specific size, architectural features and ritual customs.

The French mission “Arabian Seashores” has been exploring the Omani coast of the Arabian Sea since 2010. The team has prospected, surveyed various sites, and conducted excavations at Khuwaymah, Masirah Island, Hallaniyat Archipelago, Sharbithat, Hasik as well as other sites along the coast. Additionally, they have explored the Jebel Qara and several rock art sites. The mission’s research focuses on the chronology of the Final Paleolithic to the Early Bronze Age, spanning the period between 10,000 and 2000 BCE. Specifically, their attention is on the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic era, marking the shift from predatory societies to the first productive communities. The mission has made significant discoveries, including the Final Paleolithic cave of Natif and the Neolithic sites of Ad-Dahariz (Salalah), Hasik, and Sharbithat. Simultaneously, a project in the Rub’ Al Khali desert was carried out in collaboration with a team of geologists and paleontologists. During the latest mission in December 2022, particular emphasis was placed on research in this area, confirming the extraordinary potential of these sites. The campaign played a critical role in enhancing our understanding of cultural transfer, settling patterns, and technological innovation in Southern Arabia during the Neolithic period. Overall, the project has expanded our current knowledge of Neolithic cultures in desert locations by conducting an integrated study of the paleoenvironment and a techno-quantitative examination of the lithic industries. This work lays the foundation for future research in this field.

In 2023, a new project on rock art in Eastern Arabia, with special focus on the Al Sharqiyah North Governorate started. It aims at recording the spatial and chronological distribution of rock art as well as its integration into the natural and anthropogenic landscape. In the first field season from February to April 2023, over 4,000 rock art images have been recorded at the sites of Al Tasawir, Lizq, Al Khashbah and Al Rakhi. This encompassed digital sketches of the rock art panels, photography of the individual rock art images, taking of UTM coordinates, and vectorising the photographs on a computer later on. In addition, 3D models of all recorded sites were generated by structure-from-motion (SfM). As a citizen science component of the project, a smartphone application (Rock Art Oman) was developed that allows everyone to support the project by documenting rock art in an easy manner. This does not only provide more data for research but also help to foster the awareness of people in Oman for their rock art heritage.

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).

This paper presents the main results of the 2023 excavations at Site 73 / 66 in the Liwa hinterlands (northern Oman) undertaken by the WAJAP team. Excavations focused on domestic buildings dating to the Umm an-Nar and Wadi Suq period. Here, the buildings and the deposits found within them will be discussed.

In March 2023, an international team of archaeologists, anthropologists and geologists led by the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague successfully completed the second season of the ARDUQ (Archaeological landscape and environmental dynamics of Duqm and Nejd) expedition. Researchers from ten countries took part in fieldwork in two regions of the Sultanate. The first team, based in Duqm (south-central Oman), carried out fieldwork at Nafūn, excavating a Neolithic collective burial and documenting extensive rock art sites, both unique in south-east Arabia. Small test trenches for lithic studies were also carried out. ARDUQ’s investigations reveal a rich archaeological landscape at Duqm with long-term occupation. The second team worked in Dhofar (southern Oman). The team discovered seven Lower Palaeolithic sites in the Rub’ Al Khālī desert, with a high concentration of handaxes. Test trenches on the Nejd plateau revealed stratified Middle Palaeolithic artefacts of Nubian Complex, and samples were taken for optical stimulated luminescence dating. A systematic study of the flint raw material was also initiated. Research at Dhofar will shed new light on the early hominin and anatomically modern human dispersal Out of Africa, a topic of global importance and interest.

After about 5-year of survey in Al Ṣalaylī valley, conducted by the Heidelberg University team, in November 2022 have started the proper archaeological excavation at the site. The documented archaeological evidence which characterized the site of Al Ṣalaylī, span from the Iron Age to the Late Islamic periods. Despite the high number of hut tombs, may be dated to the (Late?) Iron Age period, the 2022 season of archaeological excavation focused on that area of the site previously labelled “Persian Village”. The excavation confirmed that part of the site was inhabited and exploited during the Islamic period. Due the different typology of structures put in evidence in the partially excavated Trench 1, the area has been renamed as “Settlement / Workshop”. The first season of archaeological excavation was made possible thanks to the Beatrice de Cardi award funded by the Society of Antiquaries of London.

The stratigraphic investigations on tomb LCG-2 led to the identification of the phase of use of the tomb floor, which, on the basis of radiocarbon dating and archaeological material, seems to refer to a final phase of Iron Age III. The research of our last exploratory season focused on the continuation of the investigation of this homogeneous phase identified at the base of the corridor. The base is characterized by a clay path running through the centre of the corridor, bordered by elongated pits containing burials and objects and informing us of how the bottom of the structure was used. This contribution focuses on the description of the last burials exposed at the bottom.

The Italian archaeological mission of L’Orientale in the Dhofar region was established several years ago and has carried out some short surveys and two excavation campaigns (December 2021-January 2022 and December 2022-January 2023). The main objective of the mission is to continue research at the archaeological site of Al Baleed (ancient Ẓafār) –located in the Salalah area, which has been the subject of numerous archaeological investigation since the middle of the last century. The site covers more than 1.5 km × 800 m, but a large part still remains unexplored, and questions concerning its foundation, stratigraphic sequences and the materials that have been brought to light still require in-depth investigation. In order to gain a deeper knowledge of the occupation of the area in the medieval Islamic period, it is considered equally necessary to undertake research and study of the numerous burial spaces in the Salalah area. Within this context, the mission began a survey aimed at documenting the large cemeteries located in the western part of the site of Al Baleed (outside the boundary wall) and at Al Robat, two areas which, on preliminary investigation, appear to preserve the oldest funerary evidence.