The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCA) announced that archaeologists discovered a Bronze Age village in the Khaybar Oasis, located in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a discovery published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
The announcement was made today at a press conference held by RCA in the Saudi Press Agency conference center in Riyadh. The conference highlighted the significance of this discovery to the Kingdom's standing in the field of antiquities, as well as on its cultural richness.
The discovery is proof of the Kingdom's commitment to safeguarding its cultural and historical heritage, as well as its desire to exchange knowledge and experience with the international community, and promote awareness about the common human heritage, consistent with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
It also underscores the need to strengthen international partnerships, to present such rich heritage to future generations, globally.
The transition from a mobile pastoral life to a settled urban life in the region during the second half of the third millennium BC is illustrated by the discovery, which was made in the framework of the "Khaybar through the time" project led by Dr. Guillaume Charloux, researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Dr. Mounira Al-Mashouh, director of Archaeological Surveys at RCA. This change in paradigm challenges the previous notion that pastoral and nomadic society was the dominant socio-economic model in northwestern Arabia during the early and middle Bronze Age.
The research points out that regions such as Khaybar were significant urban centers that permanently maintained the stability of their communities, particularly with the introduction of agriculture. They also served as centers of trade and commerce for nomadic communities. The emergence of this urban design significantly influences the socio-economic paradigm of the region.
In the Bronze Age, the northwestern Arabian Peninsula was home to a significant number of nomadic pastoral communities, but the region also had a number of enclosed oases that were connected to one another and were located around fortified cities like Tayma.
The discovered village, called Al-Natah, provides evidence of a clear division, within forts and cities, of residential and funerary areas. The village encompassed an area of 2.6 hectares, was inhabited by 500 individuals between 2400 and 2000 BC until 1500 and 1300 BC. The Khaybar Oasis was surrounded by a 15-km-long stone wall to ensure its protection.
The study was conducted by the Royal Commission for AlUla in collaboration with the French Agency for the Development of AlUla (AFALULA) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
The commission's Department of Archaeology, Collections and Conservation (ACC) manages one of the largest archaeological research programs globally as part of its mission to elevate AlUla's status as a premier cultural heritage destination.
Khaybar Oasis, located on the edge of the Harrat Khaybar volcanic field, formed at the meeting point of three valleys in a highly arid area. The remains of the village were discovered on the northern edge of the oasis, buried beneath layers of basalt rock for thousands of years.
The research team identified the archaeological site in October 2020, but distinguishing the structures and layout of the village proved challenging. In February 2024, the team employed field surveys, in-depth research, and high-resolution imaging to uncover more details of what lay beneath. Future excavations are expected to provide an even clearer understanding of the site.
The study offers an initial view of life in Al-Natah, where residents lived in traditional multi-story dwellings, typically using the ground floor for storage and the upper floors for living quarters. Narrow pathways ran between the dwellings, leading to the village center. The villagers buried their dead in graves and tiered towers, signifying high social status by including valuable items like pottery or metal tools such as axes and daggers.