Al-Natah, a 2.6-hectare Bronze Age settlement in Saudi Arabia’s Khaybar Oasis, was chiefly occupied from about 2400 to 1500 BC, with the site's chronology extending to roughly 1300 BC. More than 50 houses and a separate administrative complex accommodated an estimated 500 people. Standardized homes, simple pottery and the absence of palaces or royal tombs suggest an egalitarian community. Researchers call it “slow urbanism”—a small walled town with city-like features. The wider oasis was encircled by a roughly 14 km defensive wall; researchers also see comparable Tayma fortifications as evidence of broader regional traditions. The main settlement was abandoned around 1500 BC, with climate change and declining water availability suggested as possible causes.
Al-Natah reveals a fortified Bronze Age town dating to 2400 BC
Site mentioned
📍 Al-Natah
Key facts
- Al-Natah is in the Khaybar Oasis in Medina Province, northwest Saudi Arabia.
- Its principal occupation dates to roughly 2400–1500 BC, with the site's broader chronology extending to about 1300 BC.
- The settlement covers approximately 2.6 hectares and contains more than 50 houses and a separate building complex interpreted as administrative.
- A nearby necropolis contains stepped, tower-shaped tombs, while a roughly 14 km defensive wall encircled the wider oasis.
- The estimated peak population was about 500.
- Standardized houses, simple pottery and the absence of palaces or royal tombs suggest a relatively egalitarian community.
- Researchers characterize the settlement as “slow urbanism”—a small walled town displaying city-like features.
- Researchers see similarities with Tayma's fortification as evidence of broader regional building traditions.
- The main settlement was abandoned around 1500 BC; climate change and reduced water availability are proposed as possible contributing causes.
Sources
archaeologymag.com
Linked in video description
copernicus.eu
Linked in video description
unige.ch
Linked in video description
Al-Natahen.wikipedia.org
Al-Natah is an archaeological site dating to the Bronze Age, in the Khaybar Oasis (Medinah Province, Saudi Arabia) on the road between Mecca and Aqaba.
Map showing the location of the al-Natah site in Khaybar...researchgate.net
The oasis of al‐Ḥāʾiṭ, located in Ḥāʾil Province (Saudi Arabia), has long remained understudied despite its strategic position along the eastern Ḥarrat Khaybar ...
Bronze Age Town of Al-Natah Represents 'Slow Urbanism,' ...sci.news
recently-discovered town of al-Natah in Khaybar Oasis, the Saudi Arabian province of Medinah. occupied from around 2400-1500 BCE. al-Natah ...
Khaybar AlUla | The Royal Commission for AlUlarcu.gov.sa
Bronze Age town, named al Natah, in the Khaybar Oasis, which dates c. 4,400 to 3,300 years ago (c. 2400-1300 BCE). a fortified 2.6-hectares Bronze Age town (al ...
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.