The trading relationship between Mesopotamia and the Arabian Gulf region goes back to the Al Ubaid Period in the fifth millennium BC at least. Recent excavations in the UAE brought to light further evidence for this contact. A small collection of Ubaid pottery that was traded from Mesopotamia indicates a maritime trade with the UAE. This trade was flourished during the third millennium BC and even extended east towards the Indus Valley. The early contact can be traced on the map, which shows the ancient trade routes that linked Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley through Dilmun and Magan. While ancient Dilmun covered the lsland of Bahrain and the eastern coast of Arabia, archaeologists and philologists agree that Magan existed in the southeastern part of Arabian Peninsula i.e., the UAE and Oman.

The cuneiform texts from Mesopotamia from the 3rd millennium BC detail that boats loaded with copper from Magan moored at harbours like Akad and Ur in southern Iraq dating from the regin of Sargon and Naramsin, his grandson. This evidence indicates the strength of the relationship that existed between the southeastern part of Arabia and Mesopotamia.

By far the most important commodity from the long list of items traded was copper. The trade in copper was a primary reason for the cultural development in the region. Archaeological investigations that have taken place in the interior of Oman have yielded further evidence of copper production during the 3rd millennium BC.