Prehistoric AlUla and Khaybar

For the past four-and-a-half years, a team from the University of Western Australia has undertaken archaeological fieldwork in the hinterland of the desert oases of AlUla and Khaybar, Saudi Arabia.

Most of the 40,000km2 area is relatively inaccessible, with the isolated and dramatic landscapes filled with spectacular archaeological remains; some of the best preserved in the world. 

The project is one of several being conducted on behalf of the Royal Commission for AlUla, in a broad-ranging directive designed to develop the region and document and preserve its rich archaeological and cultural heritage. 

Through a combination of remote sensing, helicopter aerial survey, ground survey, and excavation, the team has documented in excess of 180,000 archaeological sites and structures ranging in date from the Palaeolithic through to the present; as well as amassing one of the largest C14 datasets in the Middle East. 

This lecture will focus on some of the key findings of the project, which combines traditional archaeological techniques with new technologies such as 3D modelling and UAV's. It will cover the 'mustatil', monumental Neolithic ritual structures dating to ca. 5000 BCE, of which over 1400 have now been identified, extending over an area the size of Poland.  

Header image: A Bronze Age pendant burial (c.2500–2000 BCE) in the remote badlands of AlUla. Image courtesy University of Western Australia