Archaeologists have uncovered a complete plaster cross dating to 1,400 years ago during an excavation in the United Arab Emirates.The Christian symbol definitively proves that a series of houses discovered decades ago were part of a monastery.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” Maria Gajewska, an archaeologist at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said in a video. “We never had concrete proof [the houses] were inhabited by Christians.”
Nine small courtyard houses were excavated in 1992 on Sir Bani Yas, an island 110 miles (170 kilometers) southwest of Abu Dhabi. Nearby, archaeologists found a church and monastery dating to the seventh and eighth centuries A.D. But it was unclear whether the houses were related to the monastic settlement.
This year, archaeologists returned to Sir bani Yas for further excavation. In the courtyard of one house, they found a stucco plaque in the shape of a Christian cross measuring nearly 1 foot.