A ritual building from the Umm an-Nar settlement, Dahwa 7 in al-Batinah Plain, Northeast Oman

Abstract

This study makes the argument for the presence of a category of small-sized ritual buildings at the Umm an-Nar (2700–2000 BC) sites of Dahwa 1 (DH1) and Dahwa 7 (DH7). These buildings are DH1.S20 and DH7.S1. The architectural features and associated finds point to their ritual function. Building DH7.S1 will be the focus while presenting arguments for its ritual role. Besides domestic buildings within a clustered settlement system and a monumental tomb dating to the Umm an-Nar period, the site might give unique evidence of a form of small buildings that served a ritual purpose. These buildings have no clear parallel in the excavated Umm an-Nar period settlements so far but adhere to the principles of cultic structures from elsewhere around the Near East that support their interpretation as cultic buildings.