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AN EXCEPTIONAL

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

HERITAGE

ALULA,

Large format

The archaeological sites situated around the oasis retrace a rich and varied, centuries-old civilizational history, making the AlUla region the largest of the Middle Eastern archaeological sites.

L'ENCENS,

À L'ORIGINE DU PARFUM

READ THE INTERVIEW

Director of Archaeology at AFALULA

INGRID PÉRISSÉ-VALÉRO

THREE QUESTIONS FOR

In February 2024, the RCU and the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne concluded a new agreement aimed at strengthening training and research in archaeology.

At the heart of this partnership (named Jaussen and Savignac in homage to the two French scholars who were the first researchers to work in AlUla at the beginning of the 20th century) is an international master's degree in archaeology, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage intended for Saudi and French students, as well as a dedicated research chair.

RCU AND SORBONNE JOIN FORCES

To meet the significant needs of research, AFALULA works with renowned French institutions, such as the CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History, and prestigious universities including the Sorbonne, which have been engaged in the region for several decades. The Agency also collaborates with major actors in research and heritage, such as Archaïos and CRAterre. These missions welcome students from Saudi and French universities each excavation season, training future specialists in the field. This significant interdisciplinary scientific collaboration between two nations constitutes a world first.

AN UNPRECEDENTED SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC COLLABORATION

AN UNPRECEDENTED SCIENTIFIC

AND ACADEMIC COLLABORATION

LEARN MORE

Given the richness of its archaeological heritage, AlUla attracts a multitude of researchers with varied profiles. Among them, the archaeobotanist, who studies plants in an archaeological context.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ARCHAEOBOTANY?

6500 BC

4500 BC

3200 BC

1300 BC

1000 BC

100 BC

100 AD

200 AD

300 AD

400 AD

600 AD

700 AD

Islamic period

Late

pre-Islamic period

Roman period

Nabataean Kingdom

Iron Age and Northern Kingdoms of Arabia

Bronze Age

Chalcolithic

Neolithic

KHAYBAR,

THE OASIS

RICH IN PROMISES

KHAYBAR,

THE OASIS

RICH IN PROMISES

HEGRA,

THE NABATAEAN

CITY

DADAN,

THE BURIED

KINGDOM

OLD TOWN, HISTORIC URBAN

HABITAT

OASIS,

THE LUNGS

OF ALULA

HERE WE TURN THE SPOTLIGHT ON FIVE OF THEM

The Khaybar research project has been one of the most important archaeological projects led by the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) and its partners on behalf of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) since 2018.

To date, 12 projects have been launched across the region.

In November 2024, CNRS scientists discovered a walled settlement dating from the Bronze Age in the Khaybar oasis in northwest Saudi Arabia. This exceptional discovery has revolutionized the history of the Arabian Peninsula by revealing the emergence of a more settled way of life, appearing much earlier than archaeologists had previously assumed.