The Green Arabian Peninsula Project, which was launched in 2010, continues its efforts to study the impact of successive climatic changes on the Arabian Peninsula over the ages. This research has led to significant discoveries about human presence in the region over thousands of years.
Dr. Ajab Al-Otaibi, Director of Archaeological Research and Documentation at the Saudi Heritage Authority, reported that the project has completed 12 seasons, with the latest finding being evidence of 170 stone structures in northern Saudi Arabia.
Al-Otaibi highlighted that the project successfully documents numerous archaeological sites each season, shedding light on the study of environmental and biological diversity and human origins in Saudi Arabia.
In a press conference held by the Heritage Authority in Riyadh, he explained that the project examines the climatic changes that have affected the Arabian Peninsula and involves collaborative scientific efforts between the Heritage Authority, local and international universities, as well as volunteers and graduate students who contribute to fieldwork.
Al-Otaibi noted that the project is focused on studying environmental changes in the Arabian Peninsula, including ancient paleontology, past climates, early human behavior, and animal species. It aims to establish a documented chronological sequence for the region, which helps in understanding the evolution of life and culture over hundreds of thousands of years.
In parallel with fieldwork, the project also emphasizes scientific publication through international peer-reviewed journals and local scientific outlets, he stated.
The Director of Archaeological Research and Documentation at the Authority revealed that the project has successfully discovered fossils of various animal species, as well as the remains of the oldest human known to have lived in the Arabian Peninsula around 85,000 years ago. The findings provide multiple evidence of human presence in the region over millennia, enhancing the understanding of human migrations and how societies adapted to climatic changes. The discoveries also indicate that the Arabian Peninsula was green during several periods in history, challenging the conventional view of the area as a barren and dry desert.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Sharekh, the supervisor of the Green Arabian Peninsula Project, stated that the project seeks to document early human presence in the Arabian Peninsula across different historical periods.
He pointed to the ability of human communities in this region to adapt to their surrounding conditions, explaining that they constructed structures to meet their daily needs.
Al-Sharekh added that recent focus on rectangular stone structures, with around 170 such sites studied in northern Saudi Arabia, indicates that these communities were in a phase of exploration and movement. However, due to environmental and climatic conditions, permanent settlement was not feasible, especially in the later periods, he remarked.
