Millennial-Scale Transformations of Land Use in a Canyon in Southeast Arabia: Insights from Archaeological Investigations in Tanuf, North-Central Oman

The lowland oases and highland plateaus of Southeast Arabia have been occupied since ancient times due to the availability of groundwater resulting from abundant precipitation in the mountains. By contrast, the land use of intermediate narrow canyons as pathways to transport between oases and mountains has not been fully understood, and thus the holistic understanding of how people have used and adapted to arid land still remains to be pursued. To examine land use and its transformation, we have investigated Tanuf Canyon in the Al-Hajar Mountains in North-Central Oman since 2017. We documented 21 archaeological sites that indicate variegated land use related to mobility. The land is used most often for mortuary purposes. However, non-mortuary activities such as occupation, rock art panels, nomadic pastoral activities, and fortifications were also detected. Moreover, we confirmed the changes and continuities in the terrain that serve specific purposes. The location of the cemeteries has shifted periodically, indicating the transformation of cultural needs derived from mortuary customs. The emergence of fortification in the Islamic period reflects a new method of land control, accompanied by increased needs for defensive purposes. However, the locations of cave occupation and rock art generally remained unchanged because of the continuing needs to provide natural shelters or panels for pecking. The canyon has always constrained land availability since the Early Holocene, and the mode of land selection and occupation depend on a combination of cultural and practical factors.