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Saudi Heritage Commission Launches National Trip to Explore Inscriptions, Rock Arts

Saudi men walking near a carved rose-coloured sandstone mountain in the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr near the northwestern town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 30, 2012. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/GettyImages)
Saudi men walking near a carved rose-coloured sandstone mountain in the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr near the northwestern town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 30, 2012. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/GettyImages)
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Saudi Heritage Commission Launches National Trip to Explore Inscriptions, Rock Arts

Saudi men walking near a carved rose-coloured sandstone mountain in the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr near the northwestern town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 30, 2012. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/GettyImages)
Saudi men walking near a carved rose-coloured sandstone mountain in the Nabataean archaeological site of al-Hijr near the northwestern town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 30, 2012. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/GettyImages)

The Saudi Heritage Commission has launched a national trip to explore inscriptions and rock art around the kingdom, urging Saudis to engage in this initiative aimed at reviving the national heritage of rock art and inscriptions found on rocks and mountains. The initiative was launched during the commission’s inauguration of the Uqair seaport, one of the oldest ports on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.

The commission has opened a new chapter of authenticity to revive treasures that were sculpted by passersby and engraved by the land’s dwellers thousands of years ago. It has also launched a portal dedicated to exploring antiquities in the kingdom and providing valuable knowledge. The portal consists of five sections that offer a national project aimed at preserving and maintaining the historic fortunes of Saudi Arabia known for its large geographical area, cultural diversity, and historic depth.

The initiative will try to answer questions, decipher and document the inscriptions and rock art through inspiring exploration tours before providing them on an interactive digital platform. It focuses on enhancing the role of the local community, and represents an open call to learn about the national heritage in the kingdom, which witnessed many civilizations and cultures that left living witnesses on rocks, mountains, and valleys throughout history. It also plans to honor the most interactive members by naming the explored inscriptions after them, and rewarding them with cash prizes.

Mamdouh bin Muzawim, Thamudic inscriptions researcher, said this unique initiative deepens the civilizational horizon of the kingdom, and reconnects the Saudi society with the region’s history and heritage, especially in the field of rock art found in abundance in many Saudi regions. These arts date back to the stone, bronze, Thamudic, and early Islamic ages, and include inscriptions from the Dadanitic, Nabatean, Lihyani, Safaitic, and Aramaic periods.

Muzawim added that the initiative helps boost the love of heritage and the will to preserve and protect it among people, as well as enhancing the role of historic and cultural tourism in the national economy, deepening cultural diversity, highlighting the tangible heritage of the kingdom, and encouraging researchers and experts to re-explore these treasures.

The Heritage Commission also inaugurated the Uqair historic port site to shed lights on one of the oldest seaports in the region, and explore its history as the first economic gate of the Arabian Peninsula, a passage for ancient civilizations, and a hub for different cultures.

This unique experience offers various cultural and creative programs and activities, including live shows of ancient economic activities, sculpting and engravings on the sand, fishing, folkloric performances, in addition to an exhibition displaying a large collection of photographs that highlight the economic, cultural, and commercial value of this historic seaport.

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Climate Change Causing More Change in Rainfall, Fiercer Typhoons, Scientists Say 

People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Climate Change Causing More Change in Rainfall, Fiercer Typhoons, Scientists Say 

People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)

Climate change is driving changes in rainfall patterns across the world, scientists said in a paper published on Friday, which could also be intensifying typhoons and other tropical storms.

Taiwan, the Philippines and then China were lashed by the year's most powerful typhoon this week, with schools, businesses and financial markets shut as wind speeds surged up to 227 kph (141 mph). On China's eastern coast, hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of landfall on Thursday.

Stronger tropical storms are part of a wider phenomenon of weather extremes driven by higher temperatures, scientists say.

Researchers led by Zhang Wenxia at the China Academy of Sciences studied historical meteorological data and found about 75% of the world's land area had seen a rise in "precipitation variability" or wider swings between wet and dry weather.

Warming temperatures have enhanced the ability of the atmosphere to hold moisture, which is causing wider fluctuations in rainfall, the researchers said in a paper published by the Science journal.

"(Variability) has increased in most places, including Australia, which means rainier rain periods and drier dry periods," said Steven Sherwood, a scientist at the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New South Wales, who was not involved in the study.

"This is going to increase as global warming continues, enhancing the chances of droughts and/or floods."

FEWER, BUT MORE INTENSE, STORMS

Scientists believe that climate change is also reshaping the behavior of tropical storms, including typhoons, making them less frequent but more powerful.

"I believe higher water vapor in the atmosphere is the ultimate cause of all of these tendencies toward more extreme hydrologic phenomena," Sherwood told Reuters.

Typhoon Gaemi, which first made landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday, was the strongest to hit the island in eight years.

While it is difficult to attribute individual weather events to climate change, models predict that global warming makes typhoons stronger, said Sachie Kanada, a researcher at Japan's Nagoya University.

"In general, warmer sea surface temperature is a favorable condition for tropical cyclone development," she said.

In its "blue paper" on climate change published this month, China said the number of typhoons in the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea had declined significantly since the 1990s, but they were getting stronger.

Taiwan also said in its climate change report published in May that climate change was likely to reduce the overall number of typhoons in the region while making each one more intense.

The decrease in the number of typhoons is due to the uneven pattern of ocean warming, with temperatures rising faster in the western Pacific than the east, said Feng Xiangbo, a tropical cyclone research scientist at the University of Reading.

Water vapor capacity in the lower atmosphere is expected to rise by 7% for each 1 degree Celsius increase in temperatures, with tropical cyclone rainfall in the United States surging by as much as 40% for each single degree rise, he said.