Petroglyph H24, Khatm Al Melaha, Kalba, Sharjah

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DStretch Version with Paint, Petroglyph H24, Khatm Al Melaha, Kalba, Sharjah. Arabian Tahr, Sun symbol, snakes, and other motifs are prominently featured on Neolithic or earlier artifacts. These iconic symbols are consistently found throughout southern Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, as noted in Fossati's 2019 publication, "Messages from the Past: Rock Art of the Al-Hajar Mountains (Oman)". Khatm Al Melaha is a significant archaeological site situated along the coast of the Oman Sea near Kalba in Sharjah, UAE. As one of the largest rock art sites in the UAE, it boasts an impressive array of features, including stone houses, shell middens, and stone tombs that date back to at least the early Holocene period and extend through to the 19th century. A comprehensive documentation effort resulted in over 175 stones with petroglyphs being identified and nearly 400 motifs being cataloged. Each rock bearing a glyph was assigned a unique ID number and GPS coordinate. In a single day, an extensive data collection initiative yielded 25,455 terrestrial photographs, 5,244 drone photographs, 44 drone videos, and 182 precise GPS points (accurate to +/- 1cm). Reality Capture, DStretch, and Substance Painter played key roles in this documentation process.