Ras Al Khaimah’s Tourism Authority to unlock 7000-year-old archaeological sites

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – The UAE’s brand of hospitality has long been viewed as a lavish one; more luxury retail brands than you can name and all under the same roof, extravagant hotels, and neck-bendingly tall buildings in a country that has been dubbed as the “land of superlatives”.

However, the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is working on adding a new offering to that glamorous mix; archaeology (7,000 years worth of archaeology).

According to Haitham Mattar, chief executive officer of Ras Al Khaimah’s Tourism Development Authority (RAK TDA), archaeological sites are going to be a “key differentiator and one of [the emirate’s] key offerings in the near future”.

“What we’re doing now is working really closely with the archaeology team in Ras Al Khaimah to unlock the massive opportunity and potential that we have within Ras Al Khaimah, which is one of the richest, if not the richest emirate, in archaeology and historical sites.

We have sites that date back 7,000 years, and we’re currently working on various restoration plans and bringing some of these sites that are low-hanging fruit to make them tourist-ready,” he said.