Stone Monuments in Northern Saudi Arabia Date Back to 9th Century BC

Researchers were able to uncover more than 6,000 sites that used to be traps for wild animals (SPA).
Researchers were able to uncover more than 6,000 sites that used to be traps for wild animals (SPA).
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Stone Monuments in Northern Saudi Arabia Date Back to 9th Century BC

Researchers were able to uncover more than 6,000 sites that used to be traps for wild animals (SPA).
Researchers were able to uncover more than 6,000 sites that used to be traps for wild animals (SPA).

An archaeological survey by an international scientific team in Saudi Arabia uncovered stone structures dating back to the 9th century BC, in the northern Al-Jouf region.

A team of Saudi and international archaeologists discovered one of the oldest stone structures built by man in Jabal Al-Dhulayat in Al-Jawf region, dating back to the period between 8,000 and 9,000 years BC, as part of the findings of the archaeological survey projects recently conducted by the Saudi Heritage Authority in cooperation with international scientific centers.

A recent scientific paper revealed stone monuments that were used as animal traps that date back to the prehistoric period, and reflect the ability of ancient populations to adapt to the nature of the place, and their intelligent behavior in dealing with natural conditions.

More field discoveries were made of desert stone traps and their construction patterns, as they spread in groups stretching for tens of kilometers from the north of Medina to the Hail region in central Saudi Arabia, and south to the Makkah region.

Dr. Suleiman Al-Dhaib, a professor of ancient Arabic writings, said that the Saudi Al-Jawf region was an inexhaustible source of history.

He noted that the discovery of stone monuments dating back to the ninth millennium BC is added to the amazing findings in Al-Jouf, the most prominent of which is the second oldest site in the continent of Asia, which is the Al-Shuwaytiyya ruins, which includes 16 settlements dating back to 1.3 million years BC, in addition to the oldest three-dimensional drawings known to this day.

He called for the need to launch an integrated national scientific project on the history and archeology of the Al-Jouf region, adopt the publication and documentation of its ancient Arabic and Islamic inscriptions, and shed light on its sites dating back to the stone, historical and Islamic ages.

 



Venice Carnival Opens with Biodegradable Streamers and Ode to Casanova

 Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
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Venice Carnival Opens with Biodegradable Streamers and Ode to Casanova

 Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)

The opening weekend of Carnival in Venice culminated with a water procession along the Grand Canal that finished in front of the Rialto Bridge with a flourish of colorful streamers and confetti — all completely biodegradable.

Venice’s Carnival brings thousands of people to the lagoon city to watch the water procession, one of the event’s highlights, and check out people in elaborate costumes and masks who wander the narrow alleys and gather in Piazza St. Marco to be photographed.

The popular event forces authorities to designate some alleyways as one-way, to keep pedestrians moving.

This year’s Carnival celebrations, which run through March 4, are dedicated to the famed philanderer Giacomo Casanova, who was born in Venice 300 years ago.