Saudi Arabia is rich not only in its oil, but also in its cultural heritages. With 1,500 rock arts and 4,000 archaeological sites it is the fourth largest rock art region in the world. The entire Saudi Arabia has been...Saudi Arabia is rich not only in its oil, but also in its cultural heritages. With 1,500 rock arts and 4,000 archaeological sites it is the fourth largest rock art region in the world. The entire Saudi Arabia has been comprehensively surveyed, investigated, and documented under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian Department of Antiquities (now Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities). The archaeological and rock art investigations revealed tantalizing results providing the evidence of human presence in the Arabian Peninsula from the early Acheulean period until the present day. In addition to the ancient towns and cities like Madain Saleh (contemporary to Petra in Jordan), Tayma, Domat al-Jandal, Thaj, and al-Fao and Ukhdoud hundreds of strange, mysterious, and mystic structures and petrolyghs are located in the deserts of Arabia. A few of such sites are discussed in this paper, highlighting the strong but still unknown to the world the cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia.展开更多
文摘Saudi Arabia is rich not only in its oil, but also in its cultural heritages. With 1,500 rock arts and 4,000 archaeological sites it is the fourth largest rock art region in the world. The entire Saudi Arabia has been comprehensively surveyed, investigated, and documented under the auspices of the Saudi Arabian Department of Antiquities (now Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities). The archaeological and rock art investigations revealed tantalizing results providing the evidence of human presence in the Arabian Peninsula from the early Acheulean period until the present day. In addition to the ancient towns and cities like Madain Saleh (contemporary to Petra in Jordan), Tayma, Domat al-Jandal, Thaj, and al-Fao and Ukhdoud hundreds of strange, mysterious, and mystic structures and petrolyghs are located in the deserts of Arabia. A few of such sites are discussed in this paper, highlighting the strong but still unknown to the world the cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia.