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Discoveries from the Roman Era Made in Saudi Arabia's Farasan Island

Excavations by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 ended with the discovery of several architectural structures and artifacts
Excavations by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 ended with the discovery of several architectural structures and artifacts
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Discoveries from the Roman Era Made in Saudi Arabia's Farasan Island

Excavations by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 ended with the discovery of several architectural structures and artifacts
Excavations by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 ended with the discovery of several architectural structures and artifacts

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission on Thursday announced new discoveries at archaeological sites at Farasan Islands located around 40 kilometers away from Jazan city.

Excavations by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 ended with the discovery of several architectural structures and artifacts dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The excavations were part of the Commission’s efforts to survey and excavate heritage sites in Saudi Arabia and preserve them as a cultural and economic resource.

The works of the scientific team unveiled rare pieces, including a Roman folded armor made of copper ingots and another kind of armor known as “Lorica squamata”, which is the most frequently used during the Roman era between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. In addition, the team discovered an inscription of garnet for “Genos”, a famous Roman figure in the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the head of a small stone statue.

A Saudi-French team had made reconnaissance and exploratory trips to Farasan Island in 2005 and identified locations with archaeological indicators, before surveys started on the island in 2011. Previous explorations conducted between 2011 and 2020 led to several architectural and archaeological discoveries that showed that these sites date back to almost 1400 BC.

The exploration works at Farasan Island locations contributed to several archaeological discoveries and unveiled significant sites. This provided important insights into the civil role of the historical ports in the southern part of the Kingdom as well as their role in controlling the Red Sea trade and the ancient marine routes.

The archaeological discoveries also highlight the depth of civil life on the Farasan Islands and the importance of Saudi Arabia and its strategic location as a hub of various civilizations.

The Heritage Commission continues intensified efforts to protect and maintain cultural sites, in addition to benefiting from them in the sustainable development process by formulating suitable strategies and broad partnerships at both local and international levels.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Suleiman Al-Deeb, a Cultural Advisor at the King Faisal Research Center, explained that the Farasan Island in southern Saudi Arabia played a distinguished role in shaping the culture of the region and that continuing to conduct archaeological visits and surveys- and making them precise and comprehensive- was required to unearth the island's mysteries and enhance our understanding of the economic ties and trade that linked its inhabitants with other politics.

“This new archaeological discovery, as well as other previous discoveries, demonstrate that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was right to draw attention to the need to benefit from our shores, look for investment opportunities in them, and tell their history, he said.

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Tunisia Women Herb Harvesters Struggle with Drought and Heat

A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Tunisia Women Herb Harvesters Struggle with Drought and Heat

A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)

On a hillside in Tunisia's northwestern highlands, women scour a sun-scorched field for the wild herbs they rely on for their livelihoods, but droughts and rising temperatures are making it ever harder to find the precious plants.

Yet the harvesters say they have little choice but to struggle on, as there are few opportunities in a country hit hard by unemployment, inflation and high living costs.

"There is a huge difference between the situation in the past and what we are living now," said Mabrouka Athimni, who heads a local collective of women herb harvesters named "Al Baraka" ("Blessing").

"We're earning half, sometimes just a third, of what we used to."

Tunisia produces around 10,000 tons of aromatic and medicinal herbs each year, according to official figures.

Rosemary accounts for more than 40 percent of essential oil exports, mainly destined for French and American markets.

For the past 20 years, Athimni's collective has supported numerous families in Tbainia, a village near the city of Ain Draham in a region with much higher poverty rates than the national average.

Women, who make up around 70 percent of the agricultural workforce, are the main breadwinners for their households in Tbainia.

- 'Yield less' -

Tunisia is in its sixth year of drought and has seen its water reserves dwindle, as temperatures have soared past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas during the summer.

The country has 36 dams, mostly in the northwest, but they are currently just 20 percent full -- a record low in recent decades.

The Tbainia women said they usually harvested plants like eucalyptus, rosemary and mastic year-round, but shrinking water resources and rare rainfall have siphoned oil output.

"The mountain springs are drying up, and without snow or rain to replenish them, the herbs yield less oil," said Athimni.

Mongia Soudani, a 58-year-old harvester and mother of three, said her work was her household's only income. She joined the collective five years ago.

"We used to gather three or four large sacks of herbs per harvest," she said. "Now, we're lucky to fill just one."

Forests in Tunisia cover 1.25 million hectares, about 10 percent of them in the northwestern region.

Wildfires fueled by drought and rising temperatures have ravaged these woodlands, further diminishing the natural resources that women like Soudani depend on.

In the summer of last year, wildfires destroyed around 1,120 hectares near Tbainia.

"Parts of the mountain were consumed by flames, and other women lost everything," Soudani recalled.

To adapt to some climate-driven challenges, the women received training from international organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to preserve forest resources.

Still, Athimni struggles to secure a viable income.

"I can't fulfil my clients' orders anymore because the harvest has been insufficient," she said.

The collective has lost a number of its customers as a result, she said.

- 'No longer sustainable' -

A recent study by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) highlighted how climate-induced damage to forests had severely impacted local communities.

"Women in particular suffer the consequences as their activities become more difficult and arduous," the study said.

Tunisia has ratified key international environmental agreements, including the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

But environmental justice researcher Ines Labiadh, who oversaw the FTDES study, said implementation "remains incomplete".

In the face of these woes, the Tbainia harvesters, like many women working in the sector, will be forced to seek alternative livelihoods, said Labiadh.

"They have no choice but to diversify their activities," she said. "Relying solely on natural resources is no longer sustainable."

Back in the field, Bachra Ben Salah strives to collect whatever herbs she can lay her hands on.

"There's nothing we can do but wait for God's mercy," she said.