The groundbreaking discovery by Dr. Guillaume Charloux’s team at the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological venture and Dr. Munirah Almushawh from the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) confirms a pivotal shift from nomadic to settled town life in the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE.
The publication of a groundbreaking study in PLOS One has generated substantial evidence challenging the prevailing notion of mobile pastoral-nomadism as the primary economic and social lifestyle in northwest Arabia during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages.
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla Governor Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture, stated: “This significant archaeological discovery underscores the kingdom’s esteemed global reputation in archaeology, underscoring the rich cultural heritage it preserves.” This finding underscores the kingdom’s commitment to preserving cultural and historical legacies, highlighting the importance of global collaboration in fostering a deeper comprehension of humanity’s collective past.
He noted that this discovery underscores the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding global cultural treasures and promoting its own rich cultural legacy, aligning seamlessly with the ambitious objectives outlined in Saudi Vision 2030. It underscores the imperative of fortifying global collaborations in order to safeguard this rich heritage for posterity and international recognition.
The text implies that ancient oases, such as Khaybar, were meticulously managed and revered environments that thrived due to agricultural advancements, fostering settled populations and functioning as vibrant hubs for local trade and interregional communication networks among nomadic groups. As urbanization took hold and individuals became more sophisticated, the regional social and economic structures underwent a significant transformation.
In ancient northwest Arabia during the Bronze Age, pastoral nomadic groups dominated the landscape, yet a unique pattern emerged: scattered, monumental walled oases, often surrounding modestly fortified settlements, such as Tayma and Qurayyah, connected by intricate networks of trade and cultural exchange.
The recently discovered town of al-Natah in Khaybar may hold the distinction of being the earliest site to yield significant archaeological evidence of distinct functional zones, such as residential and mortuary areas, situated behind robust fortifications. Al-Natah flourished between approximately 2400-2000 BCE and continued to thrive until its decline around 1500-1300 BCE. Surrounded by a 15-kilometre-long stone wall, the small city of Khaybar oasis provided shelter to approximately 500 inhabitants within its 2.6-hectare boundaries.
The latest analysis has been sponsored by the Royal Commission for AlUla, in collaboration with the French Agency for the Development of AlUla. The RCU’s Archaeology, Collections, and Conservation team is spearheading one of the world’s most ambitious and comprehensive archaeological research programs, working tirelessly to expand our understanding of the AlUla region as a preeminent cultural heritage site and tourist destination.
The social history of northwest Arabia is a rich tapestry, woven with complexity and significance that resonates deeply in both Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Through pioneering initiatives like the groundbreaking Khaybar project, RCU exemplifies its premier position in regional archaeology and its commitment to safeguarding cultural heritage by fostering a deeper understanding of human behavior throughout history.
Located on the periphery of the Harrat Khaybar lava field, the Khaybar oasis thrives at the confluence of three wadis in an otherwise arid environment, its existence a testament to the region’s unique geology and hydrological dynamics. On the northern fringes of the oasis, Al-Natah lay concealed beneath a mantle of basaltic boulders for millennia.
Researchers pinpointed the al-Natah site in October 2020, but the framework and layout remained elusive due to their complexity. By February 2024, the team had successfully utilized a multidisciplinary approach that incorporated area studies, targeted excavation methods, and cutting-edge high-resolution photography to gain comprehensive insights into what lay beneath their area of interest. Future excavations of a more substantial nature may significantly refine our understanding.
According to Dr. Charloux, who is affiliated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), their findings significantly alter our understanding of northwest Arabia during the Bronze Age, contradicting the long-held notion that this region was a vast, uninhabited wilderness dominated by nomadic pastoralist groups. The archaeological findings at the al-Natah site, dating back to the late Early and Middle Bronze Age periods, significantly revise our understanding of outlying urbanism in this region, indicating its emergence earlier than previously believed. Beneath the desert’s surface, the ancient city of al-Natah reveals over 1,000 years of uninterrupted occupation, offering a unique opportunity to explore the intricacies of a settled oasis community during the Bronze Age.
Researchers at RCU-AFALULA-CNRS have drawn preliminary findings on how daily life unfolded for residents of al-Natah, providing a first glimpse into the community’s experience. The residents inhabited structures that evoked the essence of traditional Arabian tower houses, featuring walk-out areas potentially employed for storage purposes, with living spaces situated on one or two stories above. As they meandered along the narrow streets, they finally arrived at the heart of the bustling metropolis. In this ancient city, they interred their specific deceased individuals within stepped tower tombs, carefully arranged to form a comprehensive necropolis. In certain ancient tombs, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a warrior’s legacy, where valuable offerings were left in tribute, comprising exquisite ceramics, shimmering beads, and practical tools like axes and daggers.
In this thriving community, individuals adorned themselves with colorful beads, harnessed the ancient art of cooking with mortar and pestle, crafted intricate pottery, and traversed the region’s bustling trade networks astride sturdy donkeys. In this rustic setting, inhabitants focused on metallurgy, diversified grains, and enhanced biodiversity – a neighbourhood sustenance landscape dominated by sheep and goat consumption. Collaborating closely, the community labored together to fortify their stronghold using a unique technique of dry-stacked stones and earthen materials.
The study team comprised Dr. Munirah Almushawh, a Saudi co-director of the task, and Saifi Alshilali, a Saudi historian with expertise in Khaybar’s cultural heritage, serving as a local representative.
Recent discoveries have amplified the scientific community’s interest in ancient AlUla and Khaybar, building upon a decade of research since 2018. Investigations have shed light on monumental ritual structures known as mustatils, complex hunting traps dubbed ‘desert kites’, extensive ‘funerary ways’ that connected settlements and grazing areas via paths flanked by tombs, and the mysterious Neolithic dwellings referred to as ‘standing rock circles’.
While research suggests that early communities in north-west Arabia were more intricate and interconnected with surrounding regions than initially believed, significant discoveries await the upcoming autumn fieldwork season, as the RCU is now inviting a team of over 100 archaeologists and affiliated experts to join excavations in AlUla County and Khaybar.
The groundbreaking find accelerates AlUla’s ascension to a premier hub for interdisciplinary archaeological research and cross-cultural dialogue, solidifying Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a leader in this sphere. The AlUla World Archaeology Symposium (AWAS 2024) convened on October 30-31, bringing together a diverse group of interdisciplinary experts in archaeology and cultural heritage to delve into the theme “Moving ahead: past, current, and future within the archaeology and heritage of mobile communities.”
