Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Governor of the Royal Commission for…AlUla GovernorateThe archaeological discovery highlights the importance of the Kingdom in the field of antiquities at the international level and the cultural depth its land contains, which enhances its efforts to protect cultural and historical heritage, pointing to the importance of exchanging knowledge and experiences with the world to enhance awareness of the common human heritage.
He added: “This discovery confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving world heritage and promoting cultural heritage in accordance with what it stipulates.” Saudi Vision 2030 “With the importance of strengthening international partnerships to present this rich heritage to future generations and to the world.”
According to a statement by the authority, the discovery, which was made within the framework of the “Khyber through the Ages” project led by Dr. Guillaume Charlot and Dr. Munira Al-Mashouh, shows the transition from a mobile herding life to a settled urban life in the region during the second half of the third millennium BC.
The importance of discovery
The discovery changes previous notions that pastoral and nomadic society was the dominant social and economic model in northwestern Arabia during the Early and Middle Bronze Age.
The study indicates that regions such as Khaybar were important urban centers that permanently supported the stability of their societies, especially with the emergence of agriculture there, in addition to being centers of trade and dealings with mobile communities. The emergence of this urban pattern had a significant impact on the socio-economic model in the region.
Evidence also shows that although there were a large number of mobile pastoral communities in northwestern Arabia in the Bronze Age, the region included a number of interconnected walled oases spread around fortified cities such as Taima.
The discovered village, called “Al-Nata,” provides evidence of the existence of a clear division within forts and cities into areas designated for housing and funerary areas. The history of the village dates back to approximately 2400-2000 BC and until 1500-1300 BC, and its population reached 500 people within an area of 2.6 hectares. With a 15 km long stone wall surrounding the Khaybar Oasis to protect it.
The study was carried out by the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate in cooperation with the French Agency for the Development of AlUla Governorate and the French National Center for Scientific Research. The Department of Antiquities, Conservation and Collections at the Royal Commission for AlUla manages one of the largest archaeological research programs in the world, as part of its efforts to enhance global awareness of AlUla as a global destination for cultural heritage.
The Khaybar Oasis is located on the outskirts of the Harrat Khaybar volcanic field, and was formed at the meeting of three valleys in a dry area. The village of “Al-Nata” was found at the northern outskirts of the oasis under piles of basalt rocks, where it had been buried for thousands of years.
Features of life in Al-Nata village
The study paints a preliminary picture of the features of the lives of the residents of the village of “Al-Nata”, where they lived in traditional houses with several floors, and they mostly allocated the ground floor for storage, while their living was on the first or second floors, and the roads between the houses were narrow, leading to the center of the village.
They also buried their dead in tombs and terraced towers. Which indicates the high status of the buried by placing valuable pieces in some graves, such as pottery or metal weapons such as axes and daggers. The villagers used beads in their clothes, made pottery and traded with it, and they worked with metals, cultivated grains and raised living organisms, as the local diet was It relies heavily on sheep and goats, and residents cooperate to reinforce their walls with dry stones and clay.
