Ancient wells, Abbasid coin: Saudi Arabia unveils archaeological finds

Saudi Arabia last week unveiled a collection of archaeological artifacts and structures — discovered during excavations in the eastern part of the country — part of the kingdom’s broader efforts to promote its heritage in line with the Vision 2030 objective of diversifying its economy, which includes boosting tourism.

In a Feb. 12 statement, the Saudi Heritage Commission, an entity of the Ministry of Culture, announced the completion of the archaeological season at the Ra's Qurayyah Port, in Al-Ahsa, the largest governorate in the Eastern Province. During the fieldwork, archaeologists uncovered 147 artifacts and ancient structures, including courtyards and wells.

Among the objects discovered were stone and glass vessels, beads and pottery fragments spanning the pre-Islamic and early Abbasid eras.

A silver dirham — one of the most significant finds — was produced in 765, under the Abbasid Caliph Abu Ja'afar al-Mansur (r. 754–775). The coin's discovery could help shed further light on economic activity and trade between Arabia and Iraq during the Abbasid era (750–1258).

The Ra's Qurayyah site lies about 16 miles northwest of one of the oldest, former seaports in the Gulf, the historic Al-Uqair Port, a location for trade in pre-Islamic times.

Ra's Qurayyah was first identified as archaeologically significant in 1976, but excavations only began in 2024, after the Heritage Commission formed a team of Saudi archaeologists to lead the dig. 

The unearthed structures and discoveries at the site point to pre-Islamic human settlements dated between the years 250 and 350, with human activity in the area reaching its peak during the Abbasid period.

A rich history

Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming known among archaeologists and other experts as a cradle of ancient civilizations, with archaeological finds stretching to the Paleolithic Age, that is, starting some 3.3 million years ago until around 11,650 years ago. In 2021, a Saudi team of archaeologists excavating in Shuaib al-Adgham, in the eastern Qassim region, unearthed stone tools dating back 200,000 years.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, the kingdom has witnessed a wave of reforms and modernization since 2016, with the introduction that year of Vision 2030, which aims to enact social and cultural reforms as well as the digital transformation of the Saudi government and society to aid diversification away from an oil-based economy, including by boosting cultural tourism.

As part of the latter effort, Saudi authorities are especially focusing on tourism in the AlUla region, nestled in the heart of the desert in the northwest.

Once an ancient overland trade route connecting southern Arabia with the Levant, the area is now the location of more than 30,000 archaeological sites, according to the Royal Commission for AlUla, among them Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site, added to the UNESCO list in 2008.

Hegra is the largest conserved site of Nabataean civilization south of Petra, Jordan, according to UNESCO, and features 111 monumental and well-preserved, carved rock tombs dating from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE.

Last October, the Heritage Commission added 1,516 new archaeological sites — including in Riyadh, al-Baha and Tabuk — to the National Antiquities Register, bringing the total number of listed sites to 11,577. The commission was established in 2020 and charged with advancing and preserving Saudi Arabia’s heritage.