Reservoirs and Pottery Stoves, More Discoveries at Saudi Arabia’s Al-Abla Site
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Roshan Amiri
- . August 26, 2023
- . Update: August 26, 2023 3:49 pm
Archaeologists have found significant discoveries in the historical Al-Abla site during the seventh season of excavating the site. This area is full of archaeological sites.
The Saudi Arabia Heritage Commission said the new finds include reservoirs to build rainwater stores in homes and for industry. It included roofs built to allow rainwater to travel through gypsum-lined or pottery channels.
This highlights the Al Abla site’s prominence as one of the most important ancient mining locations in the kingdom. Researchers also found small glass vials, metal pieces, parts of bronze vessels, rings and beats made of ivory and precious stones. There were oval-shaped water basins with an insulating material on the inside, and pottery stoves as well. The discoveries included grinders, hammerstones, and pairs of quern stones in various sizes and forms, glazed pottery, rims and handles of vessels made of pottery and steatite (soapstone).
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In 2019, a third mosque was discovered at the site of ancient mining colonies at Al-Abla. This area is considered as one of the most important ancient mining sites as it was located in the ancient trade route for spice and incense, linking southern and northern Arabia. Moreover, thousands of years ago Al-Abla was thriving with economy activity driven by the ancient southern kingdoms; it thrived during the peak of trade by the Quraish (trade merchants in Makkah). This area also saw the rise of civilization centers, commerce and agriculture.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rich with its cultural and religious heritage, with its northern border full of hundreds of archaeological sites. Over the years, archaeological research and excavation projects have helped uncover new information about the country’s history.
The Heritage Commission’s 2021 Virtual Forum on Archaeological Discoveries in Saudi Arabia highlighted the discovery of two burial chambers and rock art inscriptions which revealed six different types of ancient scripts and languages. Discoveries have shed light on Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage.
