Archaeological Sites in Saudi Arabia
Ain Qannas
Ain Qannas (also spelled Ein Ganas) is a Neolithic archaeological site near Al-Murah village in Al-Hasa, Eastern Saudi Arabia, dating to the late 6th to early 5th millennium BCE [1]. The settlement…
Al-Dafi Site
Al-Dafi is a residential archaeological site near Jubail, Saudi Arabia, measuring 235 x 200 meters. Dating to the 3rd century BC through the 2nd century AD, it flourished during the era of the…
Al Diwan
Al Diwan is a 1st-century AD monument in Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia, comprising a square chamber carved into a hillside for wind protection[1]. Inside, three stone benches form a triclinium used for…
Al Farid - The Lonely Castle
Qasr al-Farid ("The Lonely Castle") is an unfinished Nabataean tomb at Hegra (Mada'in Salih), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Standing approximately 72 feet tall, it is the…
Al Naslaa
Al Naslaa is a striking sandstone rock formation located 50 km south of the Tayma oasis in Saudi Arabia. Standing about 6 m high and 9 m wide, it consists of twin boulders balanced on natural…
Al-Rabadha
Al-Rabadha (also Al-Rabatha) is an early Islamic archaeological site in Saudi Arabia, situated approximately 200 km northeast of Medina along the historic Darb Zubaydah pilgrimage route from Kufa to…
Al Sanea Tomb
Qasr al-Sanea ("Smith's Palace") is a monumental Nabataean rock-cut tomb at Hegra (Mada'in Saleh) in Saudi Arabia, dating to around the 1st century AD. One of the first tombs carved at the site, it…
Al Thumamah, Riyadh
A significant Neolithic settlement in the desert northeast of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with origins traced back nearly 8,000 years. Archaeological excavations led by the Thumamah Project uncovered…
Al-Ukhdud Archaeological Site
An ancient South Arabian town spanning 5 sq km on the southern bank of Wadi Najran in Saudi Arabia, with artifacts ranging from the Stone Age through the Islamic period. The site was a major trade…
Al-'Ula
An ancient oasis city in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, occupying the site of the biblical city of Dedan. It served as a key stop on the incense trade route linking India and the Gulf to the…
Aynuna
Aynuna is an archaeological site in northwestern Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Region, situated about 5 km from the Red Sea coast at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba [1]. Archaeological remains are identified…
Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions
Bir Hima is a major rock art complex in Najran province, southwest Saudi Arabia, inscribed as part of the Hima Cultural Area UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. Occupied from the 7th millennium BC…
Camel Carving Site
The Camel Carving Site near Sakaka in al-Jawf Province, Saudi Arabia, contains some of the oldest large-scale animal reliefs in the world, dating to the 6th millennium BCE. The site features 21…
Columns of Rajajil
The Columns of Rajajil are an archaeological site in Saudi Arabia's Al Jawf Region, comprising 50 groups of upright sandstone pillars near Qara south of Sakakah. Some pillars exceed 3 meters in…
Dosariyah
Dosariyah is an archaeological site in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, dating to the late 6th and early 5th millennium BCE [1]. The spectrum of archaeological remains relates the site to the Arabian…
Dumat al-Jandal
Dumat al-Jandal, ancient Adummatu, is a major oasis settlement at the southern end of Wadi Sirhan in northwestern Saudi Arabia, occupying a key crossroads of incense trade routes linking Arabia,…
Dumat al-Jandal Wall
(1st c. AD) Dumat al-Jandal Wall is a fortification located on the western edge of the ancient city of Dumat al-Jandal in Al-Jawf province, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The wall stands approximately 5…
Hegra - Mada'in Salih
Hegra (al-Hijr / Mada'in Salih) is Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2008, located 22 km from al-Ula in the Hejaz region. The largest conserved Nabataean site south of…
Jabal al-Baidain
A mountain located approximately 13 km southwest of Dawadmi in the Riyadh Region of central Saudi Arabia, renowned for its archaeological rock art and inscriptions. The site features stone drawings…
Jabal al-ʿHayn
A prominent outcrop of red sandstone in Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, about 17.5 km northeast of al-Hanakiya, known for its prehistoric petroglyphs, tribal markings (wusum), and inscriptions in…
Jubail Church
Jubail Church is an ancient Christian place of worship near Jubail on Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf coast. Dating to between the 4th and 7th centuries AD, the site's precise age remains debated among…
Land of Tema
The Land of Tema (Te'-ma, Tema or Thaiman) is a biblical location where the descendants of Ishmael's son Tema dwelt. It has been identified with modern Teima', an oasis in northern Saudi Arabia lying…
Lion Tombs of Dedan
The Lion Tombs of Dedan are rock-cut burial chambers carved into the cliff face of Jabal Dadan in al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, dating to approximately the 5th century BC during the Lihyanite period. The…
Madain Saleh
Hegra (Mada'in Salih) is a Nabataean archaeological site in Al-Ula, Medina Province, Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom's largest settlement south of Petra. It features 111 monumental rock-cut tombs…
Marid Castle
Marid Castle is a historic military fortress in Dumat al-Jandal, Al-Jawf region, Saudi Arabia, about 50 km from Sakaka [1]. Built in the first century AD, it is among the oldest surviving castles in…
Pharaonic Tayma Inscription
Hieroglyphic petroglyph near Tayma oasis in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk Region, discovered in 2010 by local archaeologists. Found ~400 km north of Madinah and northeast of Madain Saleh, it is the first…
Qal'at al-Qatif
Qal'at al-Qatif is an ancient fortress in Qatif, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Originally constructed in the 3rd century AD by the Sassanid Empire, it served as a defensive structure in the Persian…
Shanqal Fort
Shanqal Fort is a ruined fortification near Turubah in Saudi Arabia's Makkah Region, situated atop the plateau separating Wadi Turbah and Wadi Kara at 1,133 meters elevation. The fortified structure,…
Sisira Well
The Sisira Well is an ancient well carved entirely out of sandstone, located north of Sakaka near Zabal Castle in the Al-Jawf region of Saudi Arabia. Dating to the Nabataean period (approximately 1st…
Tayma
Tayma is a major oasis in northwestern Saudi Arabia covering approximately 950 hectares, with evidence of human habitation from the 4th millennium BC. It served as a key station on ancient trade…
Tayma Stones
The Tayma stones are Aramaic stelae discovered at the oasis of Tayma in northern Saudi Arabia, dating to approximately the 5th century BC. The first stela was uncovered in 1880 by Charles Huber and…
Tomb of Eve
The Tomb of Eve in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is an archaeological site believed by some Muslims to be the burial place of the biblical Eve (Hawwa). The earliest documented mention comes from the Arab…
Uqair Salt Mine Archaeological Site
A Hellenistic-period archaeological site located approximately 25 km northwest of Uqair in al-Hasa, Eastern Saudi Arabia. Surface remains include walls 10-30 cm high and extensive irrigation works…