AlUla World Archaeology Conference to Explore Challenges, Future of Nomadic Societies

The Royal Commission for AlUla will host a global archaeology conference addressing the future of archeology and the heritage of nomadic societies on October 30-31.
The conference, set to alternate with the AlUla World Archaeology Summit year after year, will bring together researchers and experts in archaeology and cultural heritage from around the world.
At the Maraya mirrored wonder nestled amidst the captivating landscape of AlUla, the event will consist of presentations, dialogues, workshops, and case studies, and will showcase a collection of archaeological artifacts discovered in AlUla by archaeological missions.
The conference will highlight the essential role of mobility in shaping the world we know today. Since prehistoric times, mobility has been the means to access new opportunities, improve living conditions, explore, and address environmental challenges, natural disasters, and social and political instabilities, among others.
While mobility remains challenging for some, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic's movement restrictions at the time, the conference provides an opportunity to shed light on various aspects of mobility and nomadic societies, challenging traditional assumptions about mobility in the past and present.
The conference will focus on the fundamental role of prehistoric mobility, when movement was the primary means to reach areas with new opportunities and seek life chances. Caravan mobility served as a means to address environmental challenges and natural disasters.
At a time when mobility remains a challenge, the conference offers an opportunity to illuminate different facets of mobility and nomadic societies.
Royal Commission for AlUla Vice President of Culture Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani said in a statement issued Tuesday that the conference aims to provide an advanced and pioneering platform for dialogue and collaboration, and that it will alternate with the summit the following year.
The commission, he said, seeks to maintain the momentum generated by the summit last year through the conference, while preparing for AlUla World Archaeology Summit in 2025.
Alsuhaibani said today AlUla is one of the most active regions in the world regarding archaeological exploration, with over 30,000 archaeological sites identified, and 12 ongoing search projects in its rich cultural landscape.
“AlUla has held a unique position for thousands of years as a crossroads for civilizations, serving as a beacon for cultural and intellectual exchange,” Alsuhaibani said.
Key speakers at the conference include Professor Willeke Wendrich from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles, archaeology Professor Stefano Biagetti from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, and Peter Debrine, leader of Sustainable Tourism Programme at UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris.
Research overseen by the Royal Commission for AlUla by Saudi and international archaeologists has shed light on various wonders of AlUla's history through the ages, including the massive stone structures known as “mustatil” (rectangle, in Arabic).
Among the discovered wonders are also the ancient stone-built traps for animals, known as “desert kites,” the long “funerary avenues” that connected oases and pastures through corridors lined with tombs, and the dwellings known as the “standing stone circles.”
Studies indicate that early societies in northwestern Arabian Peninsula were more complex and interconnected with the broader region than previously believed.
The conference is anticipated to host the first-ever global exhibition featuring archaeological pieces from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples in Italy. The agenda also includes field visits to prominent archaeological sites in AlUla and surrounding areas of note, including Tayma and Khaybar.

New Zealand has set the world record for the most people to perform a haka, a traditional dance of the country's indigenous Maori, reclaiming the title from France.

A statement by Auckland’s Eden Park, which hosted the record attempt on Sunday, said 6,531 people had performed Ka Mate, the haka, which surpassed the current record of 4,028 people, held by France since 2014.

"Haka is an important part of our culture and returning the mana (prestige) of this world record away from the French and back to the land of its origins and ensuring it was performed correctly and with integrity was vital,” Hinewehi Mohi, cultural ambassador for HAKA and co-founder of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, told New Zealand’s 1News.

The haka, a customary dance by Maori, was traditionally a way to welcome visiting tribes or to invigorate warriors ahead of battle. It is now performed at important events and is the most well-known as part of the New Zealand rugby teams pre-game ritual.

There are many haka but the one performed at the world record attempt is the most well-known and was composed around 1920 by Te Rauparaha, chief of Ngati Toa iwi or tribe.

Event organizers had hoped at least 10,000 participants would attend the event, which was also fundraising for Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust.

Nick Sautner, Eden Park chief executive, said watching thousands of passionate New Zealanders from young children to elders perform Ka Mate at the stadium was a truly memorable moment.

“It’s more than just numbers – it’s about honoring our cultural legacy on a global stage,” Sautner said in a statement released late Sunday.

Almost 1 million of New Zealand's 5.2 million population have Maori ancestry.

AlUla World Archaeology Conference to Explore Challenges, Future of Nomadic Societies