<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al - Khutm and Al - Ayn are an important group of necropolises from the 3rd Millennium BC, located near a palm grove . They were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988 . </P> <P> Studies during the last 15 years have shown the existence of numerous human settlements ranging from Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman . </P> <P> The site of Bat is located inside a palm grove . Around 3000 BC there was an intense trade of copper (extracted locally) and stone (probably diorite) with Sumerians . Several Sumerian texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, called it Dilmun . The necropolis consists of 100 graves and circular buildings with a diameter of about 20 meters . These buildings had no openings to the outside, so they might have been tanks or silos, but their purpose is not known for sure . In 1972, the excavations carried out by a Danish team led by Karen Frifelt showed that the city was inhabited continuously for 4000 years . </P>

Ancient beehive tombs at the al-ayn archaeological site near bat oman