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Northern Arabia Archaeological Site Reveals 13,500-Year-Old Human Settlement

The study documented human settlement at the site dating back about 13,500 years. (Saudi Ministry of Culture)
The study documented human settlement at the site dating back about 13,500 years. (Saudi Ministry of Culture)
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Northern Arabia Archaeological Site Reveals 13,500-Year-Old Human Settlement

The study documented human settlement at the site dating back about 13,500 years. (Saudi Ministry of Culture)
The study documented human settlement at the site dating back about 13,500 years. (Saudi Ministry of Culture)

The Saudi Heritage Commission, one of 11 sector-specific commissions under the Ministry of Culture, announced findings documenting archaeological evidence of early human settlement in northern Arabia. The scientific study presenting the evidence has been published in the journal Nature.

The findings, presented in the scientific study titled “The Natufian Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the desert of northern Arabia,” are based on advanced excavation and scientific analysis conducted at the Sahout site, an archaeological site located on the southern edge of the Nefud Desert between the Arnan and Al-Misma mountains.

The site occupies a strategic geographic position linking internal desert environments with settlement networks connected to the Levant, making it a key location for understanding early human movement and dispersal in the region during the late Ice Age and the beginning of the Holocene.

The study documented human settlement at the site dating back about 13,500 years. Stratified excavations uncovered distinctive stone tools, most notably Helwan bladelets - small, finely crafted stone implements used as arrowheads or as components of hunting tools.

These artifacts are important archaeological indicators associated with the Natufian culture. Their discovery at the Sahout site confirms the presence of human communities possessing advanced technical skills and the ability to adapt to desert environments. It also reflects the connection of the Arabian Peninsula to broader cultural networks extending to the Fertile Crescent during this early period.

The discovery also revealed a later settlement phase dating between approximately 10,300 and 8,700 years ago, characterized by greater settlement density and technological development in stone industries. Archaeologists discovered Abu Salem points, a type of finely crafted arrowhead used in hunting.

These findings provide important evidence of advanced human societies with sophisticated technological skills, reflecting a high level of organization and environmental knowledge during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period and confirming the presence of developed human settlement in northern Arabia during that time.

Geochemical analyses of the obsidian used to manufacture the stone tools showed that the material originated from Jabal Al-Abyad in the Khaybar region, about 190 km south of the site. This indicates the existence of extensive communication and exchange networks, demonstrating that early communities were capable of traveling long distances to obtain resources from distant areas and highlighting advanced levels of cultural and technological interaction among populations in the region.

The study documented a direct link between human settlement and rock art at the site. Carving tools were found within dated archaeological layers alongside artistic elements depicting life-size camels and human figures.

These discoveries provide a precise chronological framework for the development of artistic expression in northern Arabia, confirming that artistic production was an integral part of the cultural life of the communities inhabiting the area during these early periods.

The findings reaffirm the Kingdom’s commitment to cultural preservation, historical understanding, and knowledge development.

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Culture

Diving Robot Explores Mystery of France's Deepest Shipwreck

Marine Sadania, a maritime archaeologist in charge of scientific and heritage management for the PACA Coastal Observatory, observes the “ROV C 4000,” a remotely operated vehicle manufactured by the French company LD Travocean and designed for seabed exploration, during its launch aboard the Jason (BSAA), chartered for an archaeological mission on the wreck of the CAMARAT 4 off the coast of Ramatuel, in southeastern France on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)
Marine Sadania, a maritime archaeologist in charge of scientific and heritage management for the PACA Coastal Observatory, observes the “ROV C 4000,” a remotely operated vehicle manufactured by the French company LD Travocean and designed for seabed exploration, during its launch aboard the Jason (BSAA), chartered for an archaeological mission on the wreck of the CAMARAT 4 off the coast of Ramatuel, in southeastern France on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)
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Diving Robot Explores Mystery of France's Deepest Shipwreck

Marine Sadania, a maritime archaeologist in charge of scientific and heritage management for the PACA Coastal Observatory, observes the “ROV C 4000,” a remotely operated vehicle manufactured by the French company LD Travocean and designed for seabed exploration, during its launch aboard the Jason (BSAA), chartered for an archaeological mission on the wreck of the CAMARAT 4 off the coast of Ramatuel, in southeastern France on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)
Marine Sadania, a maritime archaeologist in charge of scientific and heritage management for the PACA Coastal Observatory, observes the “ROV C 4000,” a remotely operated vehicle manufactured by the French company LD Travocean and designed for seabed exploration, during its launch aboard the Jason (BSAA), chartered for an archaeological mission on the wreck of the CAMARAT 4 off the coast of Ramatuel, in southeastern France on April 7, 2026. (Photo by Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)

Deep below the surface of the Mediterranean off the French coast, the pincer of a remotely guided underwater robot delicately closes around a centuries-old jug lying near a 16th-century shipwreck.

"You have to be extremely precise so as not to damage the site, so as not to stir up sediment," says navy officer Sebastien, who cannot give his second name for security reasons.

A two-hour journey from the French Riviera, Sebastien is overseeing the first of several archaeological missions on the deepest shipwreck in French territorial waters.

A routine army survey of the seabed uncovered the 16th-century merchant ship by chance last year in waters off the coast of Ramatuelle, close to Saint-Tropez.

Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sank.

Now the French navy and the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department are back to inspect the surviving artifacts lost more than 2,500 meters (1.5 miles) below sea level.

- Cannon, piles of jugs -

The navy is keeping secret the location of the wreckage site, which they have dubbed "Camarat 4" -- even if most people would unlikely have the means to reach a site so deep.

The sun has barely risen when the mission's navy tugboat arrives on site, carrying an underwater robot and two large containers acting as makeshift offices for marine archaeologists.

Its crew lower the robot -- which is equipped with cameras as well as pincers -- into the water.

A navy officer guides the robot down, linked to the ship through a long cable, as experts monitor its slow descent on screens.

An hour later, the device -- which is designed to plunge as deep as 4,000 meters -- is gliding over piles of round pitchers on the sea floor.

Slowly, through its cameras, it reveals the wreck to the team sitting on deck, AFP reported.

It captures footage of a cannon, as well as hundreds of pitchers and plates, decorated with floral motifs, crosses and fish.

The robot shoots eight pictures per second for three hours, grabbing more than 86,000 images that will then be used to create a 3D model of the site.

Archaeologist Franca Cibecchini is delighted the water is so clear.

"The visibility is excellent. You almost can't tell it's so deep," she says.

"It is most likely a merchant ship carrying glazed pottery from Liguria," a region in the northwest of Italy, Cibecchini adds.

She says it could have been loaded on to the ship in the ports of Genoa or nearby Savona.

- 'Valuable information' -

Marine Sadania, the lead archaeologist on the underwater dig, says findings will be key to understanding trade routes at the time the ship sank.

"We don't have very detailed texts about merchant ships in the 16th century, so this is a valuable source of information on maritime history," she says.

The experts hold their breath as the robot lowers a pitcher into a case as gently as possible, so as not to break it.

A third of all ceramics extracted from sea digs end up breaking, Sadania says.

In total, the team hauls up several jugs and plates.

Back on land, in a laboratory in the southern port city of Marseille, Sadania runs water over one of the jugs.

Dark blue lines run across its rounded side, creating rectangles, some of which are colored in with turquoise blue or decorated with saffron-yellow symbols.

"It's one of the deepest objects ever recovered from a wreck in France," she says.

Culture

Philippine Museum Brings Deadly, Lucrative Galleon Trade to Life

This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows visitors under the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a 17th century galleon, on display at the Museo del Galeon in Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows visitors under the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a 17th century galleon, on display at the Museo del Galeon in Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
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Philippine Museum Brings Deadly, Lucrative Galleon Trade to Life

This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows visitors under the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a 17th century galleon, on display at the Museo del Galeon in Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)
This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows visitors under the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a 17th century galleon, on display at the Museo del Galeon in Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)

A full-size replica of a Spanish galleon stares out into Manila Bay, the centerpiece of a museum that will transport visitors back to the 17th century, when conscripted Philippine mariners birthed the era of globalization.

The Museo del Galeon, which focuses on the hulking Espiritu Santo, aims to tell the story of Spain's 250-year-long Pacific galleon trade from the perspective of the Filipinos who built and crewed the towering vessels.

"This is a land with a great tradition of seafaring, but often under inhumane and degrading conditions," the museum's executive director Manuel Quezon told AFP, noting Filipinos still make up a quarter of the world's sailors.

"And it is one that we don't flinch from telling."

Built with forced labor in 1603, the Espiritu Santo was one of 181 treasure ships that made hundreds of trips between Manila and the Mexican port of Acapulco between 1565 and 1815 under harrowing conditions that historians say killed one in three crewmen.

"It was the first global trade, connecting three continents," said Francis Navarro, director of archives at the Ateneo de Manila University.

"It made the world smaller."

This photo taken on April 21, 2026 shows an interior view of the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a 17th century galleon, on display at the Museo del Galeon in Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP)

Sailing west across the Pacific for three months, the ships brought silver coins from Spain's American colonies to Manila, where they would be exchanged for luxury goods like silk, porcelain and jade from China.

The return voyage lasted as long as a year, with cargo then transported across Mexico by mule before heading to Spain, completing a trade loop between the old and new worlds.

The galleons brought more than silver to the Philippines. They brought ideas, disease, food, religion, fashion and more -- the things that "made us who we are", Quezon said.

The colonial trade also ravaged the archipelago's forests and wrecked communities, with able-bodied men required to offer 40 days of unpaid service to fell trees and build ships under Spanish foremen.

Others were forced into service as sailors for up to 10 years at a time.

Cramped inside vessels overladen with precious cargo, crewmembers subsisted on a miserable diet of hardtack, an unleavened bread, and salted meat and fish that routinely spoiled and left many gravely ill.

"You had an astounding mortality rate of about 30 percent per voyage," Quezon said.

Deadly rebellions were sparked in some areas where galleons were built, Navarro added, including on the Cavite coast along Manila Bay.

The multi-continent trade would only end with Mexico's fight for independence from Spain.

Fourteen years after its conception, museumgoers will starting May 1 be able to walk the replica ship's decks, immersed in a giant, wrap-around LED display of star-studded night skies.

Artifacts from voyages line exhibits surrounding the vessel, including part of a Chinese tomb that once served as ballast in the hold of a galleon.

"We're filling the blanks in with this museum," Quezon told AFP on a tour ahead of its opening.

"The child who comes through, we want them to realize that many of the things that they take for granted have absolutely amazing stories behind them."

Funding for the "billion-peso" ($16.5 million) project came from the Philippines' wealthiest families after bids to secure financing from the government and a Mexican billionaire faltered.

But while the Espiritu Santo is a physical marvel, it will never set sail.

Early in the process, Quezon, a historian and grandson of a former Philippine president, learned to his dismay that the local hardwood and water-resistant species used to build the galleons had long been wiped out.

A wooden galleon of Espiritu Santo's size would have required 800 trees that could now only be found in the forests of Myanmar, said Quezon.

While the museum representation is scrupulously faithful to what is known of the original vessel's design and dimensions, it was built largely with fibreglass and other man-made materials.

"In those days, you would have levelled entire forests just to be able to produce a single galleon," he said.

"That would have been irresponsible, particularly because it wasn't meant to float."

Culture

Over 90 Countries Participate in the 5th Edition of Peoples’ Heritage Festival in Saudi Arabia

The cultural event reflected the diversity of global heritage and promoted cultural and knowledge exchange among peoples. SPA
The cultural event reflected the diversity of global heritage and promoted cultural and knowledge exchange among peoples. SPA
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Over 90 Countries Participate in the 5th Edition of Peoples’ Heritage Festival in Saudi Arabia

The cultural event reflected the diversity of global heritage and promoted cultural and knowledge exchange among peoples. SPA
The cultural event reflected the diversity of global heritage and promoted cultural and knowledge exchange among peoples. SPA

The fifth edition of the Peoples’ Heritage Festival, organized by Qassim University at the King Khalid Cultural Center in Buraidah, witnesses broad participation from more than 90 countries worldwide over six days, in a cultural event that reflects the diversity of global heritage and promotes cultural and knowledge exchange among peoples.

The festival presents live folkloric performances and traditional costumes that reflect the cultural identity of the participating countries, alongside international pavilions showcasing their most prominent popular heritage.

The scene blends authenticity with cultural diversity and features numerous events, including a children’s theater offering educational and entertaining shows, a classic car exhibition, and falconry displays that highlight an aspect of genuine Arab heritage.

Meanwhile, the Saudi pavilion illustrates the three stages of the Saudi state – first, second, and third – through informative content that sheds light on its history, development, and civilizational and cultural achievements.