Al Ain Magazine 15 - page 38

The History of the Hili
Grand Tomb
Over centuries, the cemetery of
Hili settlement was used for mass
burial, and their funeral equipment
represent a valuable proof of the
nature of life in the oasis. In Hili, he
biggest stone cemetery is called the
Hili Grand tomb, with a 2.5 m height
and an 8 m thickness. It was built
during the Um Al Nar Age (2700
2000 – B.C.), with its two entries
having inscriptions of humans and
antelopes. Research results indicate
that the dead were buried in multi-
chambered stony mass grave.
Reparation of the Hili
Grand
Tomb
Six chambers were found in the Hili
Grand Tomb, divided between two
sections of the round building, which
is split by a transverse wall. And
since the cemetery was severely
damaged, it was restored in 2005 to
give the visitors a view of its original
features.
A burial ground inside the
Hili archeological Park
There are three cemeteries inside
the Hili Park and many others
outside it. As for the Greater Hili
Cemetery, it dates back to around
4000 years ago and contains four
internal chambers, each of which is
assigned for the burial of a limited
number of dead persons, though
fossils reveal that the site was
exposed to considerable damage in
the past. Besides, other mass graves
that date back to the same period
Hili Tomb
show that hundreds of humans
were buried there a long time ago.
The two entries of the tomb have
engraved ornaments, with the
northern entry dug through a large
stone that is ornamented with three
inscriptions; the first at the top,
representing a man riding an animal
and another walking behind him.
The second inscription, at the right
side, shows two hugging persons,
while the bottom of the aperture
shows two animals standing
opposite to each other, “perhaps
an Arabian cheetah swallowing a
young deer or an addax.” As for the
ornament at the southern entrance,
it consists of a couple of addaxes
and two persons standing between
them. At a no distant place from the
grand tomb, another round tomb
was discovered, though it had been
exhumed. However, it was restored
according to its original design.
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Memory place
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