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Saudi Heritage Commission Signs Agreement with Japan’s Waseda University for Al-Hawraa Excavation

SPA
SPA
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Saudi Heritage Commission Signs Agreement with Japan’s Waseda University for Al-Hawraa Excavation

SPA
SPA

The Saudi Heritage Commission (HC) signed on Sunday a cooperation agreement with Japan’s Waseda University (WU) to conduct archaeological survey and excavation work at Al-Hawraa site in Umluj Governorate, Tabuk Region, for 5 years.

The signing ceremony took place at the HC headquarters, King Abdulaziz Historical Center. It was attended by the CEO of HC, Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash, and a representative of the WU Comprehensive Research Organization, Dr. Hasegawa So.

The agreement includes the collaboration of the two parties in the survey and excavation at Al-Hawraa archaeological site.

A WU scientific team will participate alongside a counterpart Saudi team in carrying out archaeological survey and excavation work. Students from Japanese universities and scientific institutions will also have the opportunity to participate in the project for training and conducting specialized research, SPA reported.

This agreement is part of the HC's efforts to expand national and international scientific partnerships with universities and scientific institutions inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of conducting archaeological surveys and excavation work at cultural heritage sites in the Kingdom.

These efforts reflect the Saudi Ministry of Culture's commitment to enhance international cultural exchange and promote Saudi participation and national culture within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030.

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Australia Bans Uranium Mining at Indigenous Site

A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Australia Bans Uranium Mining at Indigenous Site

A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a sign at the Energy Resources Australia (ERA) Ranger Project Area in Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Territory, Australia, July 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Australia moved Saturday to ban mining at one of the world's largest high-grade uranium deposits, highlighting the site's "enduring connection" to Indigenous Australians.

The Jabiluka deposit in northern Australia is surrounded by the heritage-listed Kakadu national park, a tropical expanse of gorges and waterfalls featured in the first "Crocodile Dundee" film.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the national park would be extended to include the Jabiluka site -- which has never been mined -- honoring the decades-long desires of the Mirrar people.

"They were seeking a guarantee that there would never be uranium mining on their land," Albanese told a crowd of Labor Party supporters in Sydney.

"This means there will never be mining at Jabiluka," he added.

Archaeologists discovered a buried trove of stone axes and tools near the Jabiluka site in 2017, which they dated at tens of thousands of years old.

The find was "proof of the extraordinary and enduring connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander have had with our land", Albanese said.

"The Mirrar people have loved and cared for their land for more than 60,000 years.

"That beautiful part of Australia is home to some of the oldest rock art in the world," he added.

Discovered in the early 1970s, efforts to exploit the Jabiluka deposit have for decades been tied-up in legal wrangling between Indigenous custodians and mining companies.

It is one of the world's largest unexploited high-grade uranium deposits, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Rio Tinto-controlled company Energy Resources of Australia previously held mining leases at Jabiluka.

The conservation of Indigenous sites has come under intense scrutiny in Australia after mining company Rio Tinto blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020.

Australia's conservative opposition has vowed to build nuclear power plants across the country if it wins the next election, overturning a 26-year nuclear ban.