Saudi Arabia Unveils Important Archaeological Discoveries at Al-Ablaa Site

Excavation works at Al-Ablaa site in Asir (Saudi Heritage Commission)
Excavation works at Al-Ablaa site in Asir (Saudi Heritage Commission)
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Saudi Arabia Unveils Important Archaeological Discoveries at Al-Ablaa Site

Excavation works at Al-Ablaa site in Asir (Saudi Heritage Commission)
Excavation works at Al-Ablaa site in Asir (Saudi Heritage Commission)

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission unveiled important new discoveries at the Al-Abla site in Asir region during the seventh session of archaeological excavations in the area.

The discoveries included reservoirs used to build rainwater stores in homes and for industry. Walls and floors of buildings found at the site were also coated in gypsum, a mineral used in plaster.

They shed light on the prominence of Al Abla as one of the most important ancient mining locations in the south of the country, the Heritage Commission stated.

The scientific team also uncovered reservoirs under some architectural units at the site, which were used to store rainwater.

The reservoirs included roofs built to allow rainwater to travel through gypsum-lined or pottery channels to be stored until needed.

The Commission said that small glass vials, metal pieces, parts of bronze vessels, rings and beads made of ivory and precious stones, were also discovered at the site.

Hammerstones, grinders and pairs of quern stones in various sizes and forms were also found, as well as glazed pottery and bodies, rims and handles of vessels made of pottery and steatite, or soapstone.



New Searches Underway in Portugal Near Where Madeleine McCann Disappeared in 2007

 A Portuguese official during a search operation in a vast area between the cities of Lagos and Praia da Luz for Madeleine McCann, in Lagos, Portugal, 03 June 2025. (EPA)
A Portuguese official during a search operation in a vast area between the cities of Lagos and Praia da Luz for Madeleine McCann, in Lagos, Portugal, 03 June 2025. (EPA)
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New Searches Underway in Portugal Near Where Madeleine McCann Disappeared in 2007

 A Portuguese official during a search operation in a vast area between the cities of Lagos and Praia da Luz for Madeleine McCann, in Lagos, Portugal, 03 June 2025. (EPA)
A Portuguese official during a search operation in a vast area between the cities of Lagos and Praia da Luz for Madeleine McCann, in Lagos, Portugal, 03 June 2025. (EPA)

Police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann searched near an abandoned rural building in southern Portugal on Tuesday as they launched fresh probes near the holiday resort where she was last seen 18 years ago.

The case received worldwide interest for several years, with reports of sightings of McCann occurring as far away as Australia, while books and television documentaries were produced about her disappearance.

German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters were searching in the countryside several miles from the Praia da Luz resort, where the 3-year-old disappeared from her bed while on vacation with her family on May 3, 2007.

The teams were seen using pickaxes, shovels and chainsaws to clear dense vegetation and dig near a derelict building. Firefighters pumped water out of a well.

Almost two decades on, investigators in the UK, Portugal and Germany are still piecing together what happened on the night the toddler disappeared. She was in the same room as her brother and sister — 2-year-old twins — while their parents, Kate and Gerry, had dinner with friends outside.

Portuguese police said Monday that detectives were acting on a request from a German public prosecutor as they carry out “a broad range” of searches this week in the area of Lagos, in southern Portugal.

The main suspect is a German national identified by media as Christian Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal in 2005.

He is under investigation on suspicion of murder in the McCann case but hasn’t been charged. He spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz, around the time of the child’s disappearance. Brueckner has denied any involvement.

The last time police resumed searches in the case was in 2023, when detectives from the three countries took part in an operation searching near a dam and a reservoir about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the resort.

McCann's family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance last month, and expressed their determination to keep searching.