UAE’s oldest mosque is 150 years younger

Bidiya Mosque in Fujairah, the UAE’s oldest, was built more than 150 years later than was originally thought, thanks to a scientific dating performed on the blocks of coral used in its construction.

The mosque, which till now was believed to date to the 1400s, now has a more probable timeframe – the year 1599.

The new dating was part of a project undertaken by geochemist Dr Julie Retrum from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, and archaeologist Dr Michele Ziolkowski. 

The project was commissioned by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. The study investigated the mosque as well as of two old coastal watchtowers at Rul Dibba and Rul Dhadnah by collecting samples of coral blocks used in their construction. (Gulf News)