Saudi Arabia’s efforts to spotlight its ancient heritage received a boost last Thursday, after the publication of a detailed study on mysterious 7,000 year old structures which can be found in the Al Ula region.
The rectangular structures are built from basalt stone and are more than 2,000 years older than Egypt’s pyramids. Some of them are almost 500 metres in length.
News of the discovery was published in the Antiquity Journal.
Al Ula governorate lies on the old “Incense Road” trade route, which flourished in the seventh century, but human settlements there date back far earlier.
Al Ula includes the remains of a 2,000-year-old walled city built by early Bedouin settlers, the kingdom’s first Unesco World Heritage Site.
The Royal Commission for Al-Ula revealed that a team of archaeologists in the province of Al-Ula, northwestern Saudi Arabia, has discovered the oldest evidence of dogs that coexisted with humans in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to 4000-4200 BC. SPA
The Royal Commission for Al Ula revealed that a team of archaeologists in the province of Al Ula, northwestern Saudi Arabia, has discovered the oldest evidence of dogs that coexisted with humans in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to 4000-4200 BC. SPA
Rebecca Foote, director, archaeology and cultural heritage research at Royal Commission for Al Ula. Courtesy Discovery Channel
A still from 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia' shows Hegra, Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Courtesy Discovery Channel
A still from 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia' shows Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, at Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. Courtesy Discovery Channel
A still from 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia' shows Jebel Al Fil (or Elephant Rock), Al Ula. Courtesy Discovery Channel
Al Ula airport will welcome international flights. Courtesy RCU
A still from 'The Architects of Ancient Arabia' shows the Tomb of Lihyan, son of Kuza at Hegra, Al Ula. Courtesy Discovery Channel
The Royal Commission for Al Ula revealed that a team of archaeologists in the province of Al Ula, northwestern Saudi Arabia, has discovered the oldest evidence of dogs that coexisted with humans in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to 4000-4200 BC. SPA
The Royal Commission for Al Ula revealed that a team of archaeologists in the province of Al Ula, northwestern Saudi Arabia, has discovered the oldest evidence of dogs that coexisted with humans in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back to 4000-4200 BC. SPA
Al Ula's Old Town in Saudi Arabia has reopened to visitors. Courtesy RCU
Al Ula Old Town is know for its anicent mud-brick houses. Courtesy RCU
RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA. 29 SEPTEMBER 2019. Sulaiman Al Juwayhil, tour guide in Al Ula, giving a tour in Madaen Saleh. (Photo: Reem Mohammed/The National) Reporter: Section:
“We are talking about over 1,000 mustatils,” said Melissa Kennedy, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia in Perth, to NBC news.
“Mustatil” is the Arabic for "rectangle" and is the common term for the structures found in the area.
Courtesy Royal Commission for Al Ula.
“These things are found over 200,000 square kilometres, and they’re all very similar in shape ... so perhaps it’s the same ritual belief or understanding,” she said.
While some of the long rectangular structures were made simply by building low stone walls, others are more complex and involved internal rooms and pillars.
One site involved the use of 12,000 tonnes of rock, Ms Kennedy said.
Ms Kennedy's team say the smaller rooms within the larger structures might have been used to sacrifice animals after 5,000 year old animal bones were found at one site in 2019.
The narrow rectangular shapes could also have been built for some kind of ceremonial procession.
Al Ula heritage efforts
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al Ula funded the research of the team from Perth University.
The kingdom is trying to raise international awareness of the country’s ancient heritage, part of a wider drive to attract tourists as part of the Vision 2030 strategy.
Some of the country’s most notable achievements of Vision 2030’s first five years include a rise in the number of heritage sites open to visitors, from 241 in 2017 to 354 in 2020, according to the Saudi government.
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened. He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”. Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
