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 center at the crossroads of incense routes linking Hadhramaut to the Hejaz and Mesopotamia. It is infamous as the location where Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas massacred Najran's Christian population in the 520s AD, referenced in the Quran as the People of the Ditch. Excavations since 1981 have uncovered glass, metals, pottery, bronze artifacts, and ancient inscriptions.