A major exhibition on the 40 years of involvement of French archaeologists in the excavation and study of the ancient history of the United Arab Emirates opens next week at the Sharjah Archaeological Museum, it has been announced.

The exhibition, entitled "40 years of archaeological cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and France" is jointly organised by the Sharjah Museums Authority, SMA, the Institut francais in the UAE, the Cultural Department of the French Embassy and the French Archaeological Mission to the UAE. It opens on 18th October and will continue until 31st January 2018.

According to the SMA, the exhibition will highlight the importance of archaeological finds in the UAE, "which revealed evidence of human existence since ancient times and its vital commercial role, making it a hub for East -West communication during different periods of time."

The Institut francais says that the exhibition will depict the UAE as "as a pathway for the first men between Africa and Asia, and as a central land for civilisations and cultures dialogue at the crossroad of important trade routes."

French archaeologists first began working in the UAE in 1977, with excavations in Al Ain, which unearthed the important Bronze Age settlement at Hili. They have subsequently also worked in Sharjah, Ra’s al-Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm al-Qaiwain, at key sites including ed-Dur and Akab, in Umm al-Qaiwain, Mleiha, in Sharjah, and Bithna and Masafi in Fujairah.

Through books, academic papers and presentations at conferences in the UAE and overseas, French archaeologists have made a major contribution to international knowledge about the UAE’s cultural heritage.

The exhibition is curated by Dr Sophie Méry, the current Director of the French archaeological mission to the UAE, and will display 100 objects tracking the history of the UAE form the Neolithic period, over 6,000 years ago, to the Islamic period.

A number of conferences along with a range of workshops and guided tours will also be organised.