Mleiha lies in the interior of Sharjah, on the plain between the Hajar mountains and the dune fields, at a point where routes from the coast met routes into the interior. It was occupied from the Iron Age, roughly 1300 BCE, and remained significant into the early centuries CE.
The site
The visible remains include a large mud-brick and stone fort of the late pre-Islamic period, houses, wells and extensive cemeteries. Tombs at Mleiha range from simple graves to substantial structures, and some contain imported goods. Excavations have recorded Iron Age occupation with evidence of copper working and falaj irrigation, followed by a period in which the settlement served as a caravan staging point.
Trade
Mleiha's importance derives from its position: goods landed on the coast could be moved inland through the gap in the mountains near Mleiha and onward toward the Arabian interior. Finds of foreign ceramics and of objects from the Hellenistic world indicate that the settlement was connected to both Indian Ocean and Mediterranean markets.
The centre
The Mleiha Archaeological Centre presents the site with a museum, a reconstructed tomb, guided trails and a programme of excavations. Mleiha also forms part of the Sharjah archaeological World Heritage listing, and the surrounding area preserves fossil beds and prehistoric rock shelters.