Saudi Arabia discovers bronze age village in Khaybar Oasis
The Saudi Royal Commission for AlUla province has announced the discovery of an ancient Bronze Age village in Khaybar Oasis, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Researchers, speaking at a press conference held at the Saudi Press Agency’s conference center in Riyadh, revealed that the village, known as “Al-Nata,” showcases evidence of advanced urban planning with distinct residential and funerary areas.
Dating back to between 2400 and 1300 BCE, Al-Nata is believed to have been home to around 500 inhabitants and spans 2.6 hectares. The site is encircled by a 15-kilometer stone wall that protected the oasis.
Situated at the meeting point of three valleys on the edge of the volcanic field of Harrat Khaybar, the village remained hidden under layers of basalt rock in the northern part of the oasis for millennia.
The discovery is part of the “Khaybar Through the Ages” project, led by Dr. Guillaume Charloux from France’s National Center for Scientific Research and Dr. Muneera Al-Mosheh from the Royal Commission for AlUla.
Researchers note that this find marks a significant societal transition from nomadic pastoralism to settled urban life in the region during the late third millennium BCE.
This insight challenges previous notions that nomadic and pastoral lifestyles dominated northwestern Arabia during this period. Further evidence points to walled oases connected to fortified cities like Tayma, indicating a flourishing urban network at the time.
