Mleiha is an inland oasis at the centre of Sharjah Emirate (U.A.E.) that dominated in antiquity the caravan trade in Southeast Arabia. Since more than a decade, the Royal Museums have directed archaeological excavations at the site to reveal its role in the international trade networks of the Hellenistic and Roman era.

Luxury items and trade goods from the Mediterranean world, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East converged at Mleiha from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The Belgian expedition excavated several monumental tombs and discovered in 2015 a bilingual funerary inscription with the oldest mention of the Kingdom of Oman. The same tomb revealed luxury commodities such as a unique wine amphora from Rhodes that had been glazed and a bronze drinking bowl decorated with exotic imagery, a centaur, an African elephant, rhinoceros...

These finds are presented to the public for the first time outside the Emirate of Sharjah. The exhibition shows a selection of architectural ornaments, stone and bronze vessels, armament, horse gear, statuary, coinage...