Tawam (region)
Tawam[1]
| |
|---|---|
 Mezyad FortinAl Ain(UAE), withJebel Hafeet,which is partially in theOmaniGovernorate of Al-Buraimi,in the background | |
| Boroughs | Al-Ain( United Arab Emirates)Al-Buraimi(  Oman) |
Tawam(Arabic:تَوَام,romanized:Tawām),[5]alsoTuwwam,[2][3]orTu'am,is a historicaloasisregion inEastern Arabiathat stretched from, or was located between, theWestern Hajar Mountainsto thePersian Gulfcoast, nowadays forming parts of theUnited Arab Emiratesand westernOman.Although associated with the Buraimi Oasis (Arabic:وَاحَة ٱلْبُرَيْمِي,romanized:Wāḥat Al-Buraymī),[4][6]by historians working from documentary sources available in the 1950s and 60s, Tu'am is now thought to refer to the Christian patriachate ofSt Thomas the Apostle of the Eastand the location of the principal city and pearling centre onSiniyah islandin modernUmm Al Quwainon the Western seaboard of the UAE.[7]
It is marked by the twin settlements ofAl AinandAl-Buraimion the UAE-Omani border, with the former in the UAE and the latter in Oman,[1]and with Siniyah on the Western seaboard of the UAE.
Etymology and geography
[edit]
Al-Ain is the main settlement[8][9]in the Eastern Region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, located on the country's eastern border with Oman, where the adjacent town of Al-Buraimi is located. The region is located to the west of theWestern Hajar Mountains[10]and theGulf of Oman,[1]and in the vicinity of theRub' al-KhaliDesert.[3]On the coast of the Arabian or Persian Gulf liesJumeirahin theEmirate of Dubai,which was probably part of this region,[5][11]as well as the major pearling town and early religious site now being uncovered at Siniyah.
The word 'Tawam' means 'twins' in Arabic, and was thought to refer to a pair ofalfaj(water channels) in the Buraimi region, as identified from the works of people likeSalil ibn Raziqin the 19th century,Al-TabariandAl-Muqaddasi[3]in the 10th century. However, contemporary archaeological and archival research has strongly identified Tu'am with Thomas the Apostle, particularly after the recent archaeological work carried out at Siniyah by Timothy Power, an archaeologist and professor based inAbu Dhabiwho helped to found the Buraimi Oasis Landscape Archaeology Project.
In the mid-19th century, an Omani scholar, Salil ibn Raziq, basically said that Buraimi used to be called Tawam. People picked up on that but have never critically examined the earlier sources. Al Tabari writes of aPersiansphere of influence alongthe Batinah plainof Oman and an Arab sphere of influence in the interior with its capital at a place called Tawam. In that he deals with the events of 893/94, in which there is a dispute amongst different local factions about who should rule in Oman. One of these factions approaches theAbbasidsfor outside assistance. The faction who do this are called the Bani Sama and they are based in Buraimi before they base themselves inSohar,call themselves theWajihid Dynastyand assume the leadership of the whole region.
— Timothy Power.[5]
The identification of Tu’am with Al Ain and Buraimi was reproduced uncritically by British colonialists and Arab nationalists in the 1960s and ‘70s, which coincided with the creation of the United Arab Emirates. The result was a roundabout and hospital in Al Ain named after Tu’am, an attempt to give deep roots to the new nation.
— Timothy Power,[12]
Hafit {Tuwwam} abounds inpalmtrees; it lies in the direction of Hajar {Al Hasa}, and the mosque is in themarkets...DibbaandJulfar,both in the direction of the Hajar, are close to the sea... Tuwwam has been dominated by a branch of theQuraysh...
History and prehistory
[edit]Archaeological remains dating to theBronze Ageand beyond, like atAl-Rumailah,Hiliand Jebel Hafeet,[13][14]have been found in this region. Inancienttimes, the region was reportedly used by Arabs as a place of gathering,[4][5]and like Dibba, it was taxed byAl-Julanda,who were clients of theSasanians,who reported to thePersianmarzban(military governor), who was based at Al-Rustaqin what is now Oman.[11]
Like Dibba and present-dayRas Al Khaimah,the region witnessed events relevant to thehistory of Islamduring theRashidun,UmayyadandAbbasideras.[3][11]
Around theIslamic Golden Agein theMiddle Ages,the region, with its capital at 'Tawam', was an important sphere of influence for Arabs. Ceramics and other materials found here were believed to have been imported fromMesopotamia,IndiaandChina.At this time,Sohar,located to the east of this region, was of such prominence as a trading port on the coast of theGulf of Omanthat it was considered[by whom?]to be the "DubaiorSingaporeof its day "[citation needed].A mosque, considered[how?]to be theoldestin the country, was found[when?]in the vicinity of theSheikh Khalifa Mosquein Al-Ain by DrWalid Al Tikriti,besides afalaj,a group of houses, and a village dating to the9thor 10th century.[5][citation needed]
Being strategically located near the Western Hajar, the area was[when?]an important stop for people and caravans traveling between the mountains and other parts of Arabia, such as Al-Hasa. Not only was the area, being rich indate palms,important for trade, but it was also used by certain people for smuggling slaves, women or children, years before thefoundation of the UAE.[10]
References
[edit]- ^abcdJanet L. Abu-Lughod (2007). "Buraimi and Al-Ain". In Dumper, Michael R. T.; Stanley, Bruce E. (eds.).Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO. pp. 99–100.ISBN978-1-5760-7919-5.
- ^abAl-Hosani, Hamad Ali (2012).The Political Thought of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan(PhD Thesis)(Thesis). Durham University. pp. 43–44.Archived(PDF)from the original on 5 February 2017.Retrieved15 April2016.
- ^abcdefMorton, Michael Quentin (15 April 2016).Keepers of the Golden Shore: A History of the United Arab Emirates(1st ed.). London: Reaktion Books.ISBN978-1-7802-3580-6.Retrieved8 November2016.
- ^abcdAllen, Calvin H. Jr. (5 February 2016)."1: Land and People".Oman: the Modernization of the Sultanate.Abingdon, New York City: Routledge. pp. 1–8.ISBN978-1-3172-9164-0.
- ^abcdeLeech, Nick (22 October 2015)."The long read: has a lost Arab capital been found on the Oman-UAE border?".The National.Retrieved20 January2019.
- ^El Reyes, Abdulla, ed. (December 2014).Liwa Journal of the National Archives(PDF).United Arab Emirates: Emirati National Archives. pp. 35–37.
- ^Power, Tim (21 June 2024)."How the excavation of Tu'am will help fill in the holes of our historical knowledge".The National.Retrieved22 June2024.
- ^"Al Ain".The Report Abu Dhabi 2010.Oxford Business Group. 2010. pp. 171–176.ISBN978-1-9070-6521-7.
- ^The Report Abu Dhabi 2016.Oxford Business Group. 9 May 2016. pp. 14–16.ISBN978-1-9100-6858-8.
- ^abLancaster, Fidelity; Lancaster, William (2011).Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions.Berlin, New York City: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 130–324.ISBN978-3-1102-2339-2.
- ^abcAbed, Ibrahim; Hellyer, Peter (2001).The United Arab Emirates, A New Perspective.London: Trident Press Ltd. pp. 60–86.ISBN978-1-900724-47-0.
- ^Cite error: The named reference
https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2024/06/21/a-curiously-named-lost-city-has-deep-significance-for-the-uae/was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page). - ^Salama, Samir (30 December 2011)."Al Ain bears evidence of a culture's ability to adapt".Gulf News.Retrieved7 August2018.
- ^Potts, Daniel T.; Nābūdah, Ḥasan Muḥammad; Hellyer, Peter (2003).Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates.London: Trident Press. pp.174–177.ISBN1-9007-2488-X.OCLC54405078.