A remarkable archaeological discovery on Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is transforming historians’ understanding of how Christianity spread in the course of the seventh and eighth centuries.
Researchers uncovered a 1,400-year-old plaster plaque depicting a cross inside the ruins of a church and monastery. The cross incorporates a stepped pyramid paying homage to Golgotha – the positioning believed to be where Jesus was crucified – with foliage sprouting from its base.
The find suggests a thriving Christian settlement existed within the region at a time when Islam was rapidly expanding and pagan traditions still persevered. Contrary to the long-held assumption that Christianity was in decline, evidence indicates that believers here weren’t only present but flourishing, in line with The National.
Maria Gajewska, the chief archaeologist on site, explained: “Every element of the cross incorporates regional motifs. It tells us that Christianity on this region was not only present but flourished, adapting visually to its local context. We had settlements of Christians that were not only existing but were clearly thriving.”
The cross, which measures about 27 cm by 17 cm and lower than 2 cm thick, is believed to have served as a sacred object, possibly mounted on a wall before which worshippers prayed.
Other finds included pottery, glass vessels and a small sea-green bottle which will have contained oil or rosewater.
Hager Al Menhali, an Emirati archaeologist with the Department of Culture and Tourism, said her attention was caught by “a definite fingerprint on the back” of the plaque, possibly left by its maker greater than a millennium ago.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, described the invention as “a robust testament to the UAE’s profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness”, noting that it highlights a history of peaceful religious diversity within the region.
Archaeological evidence shows that the community on Sir Bani Yas was linked to the Church of the East, a denomination whose reach prolonged from the Middle East so far as India and China.
The settlement appears to have been home to high-ranking monks who lived in well-constructed courtyard houses manufactured from limestone and coral, complete with water cisterns.
Far from being austere, the positioning reflects a snug lifestyle dedicated to worship and reflection.
Signs of Christianity’s presence on the island were first unearthed within the early Nineteen Nineties. More recently, a second monastery was present in Umm Al Quwain in 2022, with other related sites identified in Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The reasons for the eventual decline of the Sir Bani Yas settlement remain unclear. The buildings show little sign of collapse or violence, leading researchers to consider the inhabitants could have left voluntarily, meaning to return.
Historical records suggest early Christians and Muslims in the world often coexisted peacefully, trading and interacting without conflict.
The discovery provides a rare glimpse into Christianity’s eastward expansion, highlighting the Arabian Gulf’s role in the broader story of the religion’s spread across Asia.
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