The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area is located at the junction of the Empty Quarter Desert and the Wajid sandstone outcrops of the Jabal Tuwayq Plateau and escarpment in the south of Saudi Arabia. It is an exceptional physical testimony to the successive human occupations from the Palaeolithic to the Late pre-Islamic era, showing how different peoples adapted to the evolving natural environment in the inland region of Arabia, which experienced a much wetter climate, before becoming a drier region, and finally one of the driest deserts in the world.

The vast relict cultural landscape encapsulates extremely rich archaeological remains, including the flint tools of the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods; a huge number of funerary “avenues” of stone structures dating from the second half of the 3rd millennium to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE and radiating out from the oasis; and numerous tumuli at the foothills of Jabal Tuwayq dating from 2000-1900 BCE. These are associated with a group of nomads linked to the Gulf and the Mesopotamian civilisation. The remains of the antique caravan city of Qaryat al-Faw and its oasis, which appeared in the middle of the 1st millennium BCE and lasted almost a millennium until the irreversible depletion of water resources led to its abandonment in the 5th century CE, exhibit a rich urban and architectural legacy, with a vast irrigation network and a large area of ancient plantation pits to sustain the oasis economy. As an important caravan relay on the route leading from Najran to central and eastern Arabia, the forts/caravanserais, commercial quarters, residential areas, and necropolises bear witness to a thriving and cosmopolitan caravan city and the capital of the kingdom of Kinda, a federal organisation of Arabian desert tribes. The presence of various groups is manifested by the linguistic diversity of inscriptions and rock carvings found at the sacred mountain of Khashm Qaryah and in the residential areas and necropolises.

Criterion (ii): The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area exhibits an important interchange of human values, from the middle of the 1st millennium BCE to the 5th century CE, between the southern Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea, and Yemen, as well as the Northwest of Arabia, the Fertile Crescent, and the Mediterranean world, and finally the Gulf region, Mesopotamia, and Persia in the east. The rich collection of archaeological findings and inscriptions is a tangible manifestation of the role of the site as an important meeting place for different groups of people who built the caravan city of Qaryat al-Faw and the influences and cultural exchanges between the tribes of the desert and the trading groups that occupied and resided in the area over time.

Criterion (v): The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area is an outstanding example of traditional human settlement and land use over millennia. The large quantity and diversity of archaeological remains provide valuable information that demonstrates the variety of ways in which humans have interacted with the environment for millennia, taking advantage of the natural conditions at different times. It also illustrates the vulnerability of human settlement and land use under the impact of irreversible climate change.

Integrity

The vast property area includes all the archaeological remains, such as the Palaeolithic and Neolithic stone tools; the tapered structure; cairns and circular constructions; the rock inscriptions, paintings, and engravings on the cliff of the sacred mountain of Khashm Qaryah and other parts of the property; the huge number of tumuli and cairns in the valley; the forts/caravanserais; the oasis and its water management system; and the ruin of the City of Qaryat. These archaeological remains, together with the landscape in the property area, testify to the multifaceted cultures and belief systems of the populations that once occupied the site, their interaction with both the environment and with other parts of the world through trade, political, and military activities. Preserved by the desert environment since the site was abandoned in the 5th century CE, the archaeological resources have remained intact. While a few factors affect the property, such as the natural deterioration of the exposed archaeological remains and farming in the buffer zone, these factors are under control thanks to preventive interventions and legal provisions.

Authenticity

Encapsulated by the desert environment, the property remained as it was after its abrupt abandonment in the 5th century CE. With all the archaeological structures and remains undisturbed by human activities, only slow natural deterioration occurred over time. The natural setting and the landscape in the property have undergone a certain degree of natural evolution, such as the collapse of some parts of the cliff, which buried some tumuli and cairns at the escarpment. While considering that the natural deterioration of the archaeological remains and the natural evolution of the landscape are also part of the authentic process of the history of the site, the source of information preserved at the property is credible.

Protection and management requirements

The property is registered as a National Heritage Site and is protected under the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage. The escarpment and the plateau are also protected under the Protected Areas Law as part of the ‘Uruq Bani Mu’arid Protected Area. Tribal law helps to protect the landscape from disturbance. The property is entirely state-owned. The vast buffer zone encompasses a significant stretch of the cliff, escarpment, and desert and is mostly composed of public lands. It provides an additional layer of protection to the cultural landscape, while the Respect Zone adds another layer of protection to the visual quality of the landscape, preventing the property from future encroachment by farming and other types of development.

Responsibility for managing the property is shared between the Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the National Centre for Wildlife. A joint management framework is being established to coordinate the efforts of the cultural and natural conservation sectors. This framework is guided by the Management Charter and is supported by the Higher Committee, the Scientific Committee, and the Local Committee. The management plan is a contractual agreement and a collective commitment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Culture, the Heritage Commission, the National Centre for Wildlife, and the local authorities concerned. It is a guiding document for the medium- and long-term protection, conservation, management, and monitoring of the property. The Heritage Impact Assessment mechanism has been embedded in the management system, and the decision-making process is accessible to the local communities. Future research is planned on both the archaeology of the property and the artefacts retrieved during the excavations. Tourism management is at an incipient stage, and the presentation and interpretation of the values of the site should be improved by placing the narratives in the regional context.