Saudi Arabia unearths 50,000-year-old artefacts in Al Quraynah excavation

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission has announced the discovery of prehistoric artefacts, including stone tools and pottery fragments dating back as far as 50,000 years, during a recent archaeological survey in the town of Al Quraynah, northwest of Riyadh.

The excavation, part of an initiative to chart the archaeological landscape of the Riyadh region, also uncovered circular stone structures believed to be tombs from the third and second millennia B.C., as well as an ancient roadway linking a valley floor to the plateau above and continuing toward Riyadh.

The work is part of Al Yamamah initiative, launched to systematically document and study previously unrecorded sites using advanced survey methods. The program aims to shed light on patterns of human settlement and the cultural depth of central Arabia over thousands of years.

A team of Saudi archaeologists conducted the dig, collecting data to map the cultural and historical sequence of Al Quraynah, analyze construction techniques, and catalogue the finds. 

The commission described the project as both a scientific and preservation effort, designed to safeguard Saudi Arabia’s archaeological assets while promoting them as part of the Kingdom’s cultural and economic development.

The commission emphasized that such discoveries demonstrate the region’s role as a crossroads of successive civilizations, adding to a growing body of evidence that Saudi Arabia holds one of the most diverse and ancient cultural landscapes in the world.