Sands and rocks, a usual sight in the UAE. But the attentive eye of the history researcher will see more than just ruins on a lakeshore.

Ed-Dur is one of the largest archaeological sites in the Emirates, occupying an area of about 5 square km by Al Beidah Bay. These are the remains of an ancient city a few kilometers east of the town of Umm Al Quwain. Archaeologists consider Ed-Dur one of the most important archaeological finds in the country. The monuments, over two thousand years old, are among the candidates for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The importance of the settlement of Ed-Dur was revealed by many objects and items found here in the desert: stone structures, hundreds of tombs, crockery, coins, weapons, pottery, and ivory jewelry.

If you visit the National Museum of Umm Al Quwain, you will find many things from valuable finds among the exhibits. These artifacts prove that people lived here during the Ubaid, Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages and in the pre-Islamic period. Parts of the town of Ed-Dur that have survived on the ground will be an addition to the museum's exhibits. But one should not perceive this place as an aesthetically revitalized and equipped archaeological area. Everything here is ascetic and minimalistic; it is rather an opportunity to feel the energy of centuries and imagine what life might have been like here, between the desert and the bay.

Excavations on the territory of Ed-Dour, the Arabic word for "home," have been carried out for about half a century. The largest monuments in the archaeological area are a fort with turrets and a temple with Aramaic inscriptions dedicated to the solar deity.

The stone fort may have served as the "headquarters" of the rulers. About 20 meters long, its four walls are joined by four towers, each about 4 meters in diameter.

Just south of the fortified walls are the remains of the temple of the sun: a rectangular building with a gate facing east and columns in front of it. Even after many centuries, it is possible to see that the temple featured restrained architecture and geometric elements in the decoration. An altar was found in the temple, which most likely served to house gifts and sacrifices. The fact that religious rituals were performed may also explain the small pit-pool in the building. It may have been a fire pit for ritual fires.

Today the pre-Islamic temple of Ed-Dur, hidden for centuries under the desert sands, is considered one of the largest archaeological monuments in the Emirates. It may look modest, but it has preserved so much value and now has a chance to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.