Finding on Siniyah Island in emirate of Umm al-Quwain sheds new light on history of Christians in Gulf region, which then — like today — was ‘a melting pot of nations’.
By JON GAMBRELL
Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology, front right, with Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, during a visit to the ancient Christian monastery on Siniyah Island in Umm al-Quwain, United Arab Emirates, November 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
SINIYAH ISLAND, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An ancient Christian monastery, possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula, has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced this month.
The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the




