Saudi Arabia registers 101 archaeological and historical sites

Heritage commission solicits the help of kingdom's residents to identify all sites in the kingdom

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Saudi Arabia's Heritage Commission announced on Wednesday the registration of 101 new archaeological and historical sites.

The new sites have been added to the kingdom's National Antiquities Register, bringing the total number of registered archaeological sites to 8,528.

Eighty-one of the newly added sites are in Hail, with nine in Tabuk, six in Madinah, three in Qasim, and one site each in the Asir and Jouf regions.

The commission aims to officially register the kingdom’s archaeological and historical sites in the National Antiquities Register and put them on digital maps to facilitate their administration, protection and preservation.

The commission registered 253 new archaeological and historical sites in April, part of efforts to explore and document those sites.

It also aims to build a special database for registered archaeological sites, as well as archive documents and photographs of heritage sites.

The commission is calling on the public to report the discovery of archaeological sites through the Balagh platform, commending the efforts of citizens in preserving the kingdom’s heritage.

Last year, Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission revealed that 14 archaeological sites of significant historical heritage were registered in the second quarter alone.

Guillaume Charloux, of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, had told The National the findings in the kingdom were “unparalleled in Arabia”.

Updated: October 13, 2022, 8:16 AM