AlUla, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Following the premiere of the ‘Lost Treasures of Arabia: The Ancient City of Dadan’, produced by National Geographic Creative Works, AlUla is expecting a surge of interest in the ancient city from discerning travellers planning to see its numerous heritage sites first-hand. And the important discoveries in the recent dig season are evidence that the site was settled much earlier than previously thought.
While the general public has been able to view, since September 2022, archaeological artefacts -including a startling monumental statue unearthed from Dadan at the Louvre, Paris – many are now learning about the sophisticated 1st millennium BCE civilisation by watching the first ever full length documentary feature film.
Once a major way stop for caravans on the Incense Road, one of the most important trading routes in history, the ancient city of Dadan was occupied from at least the 2nd millennium BCE before developing into the successive Kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan, which thrived circa 600-100 BCE. By exploring the archaeological treasures, the documentary offers a unique window into important discoveries about the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms, deepening our knowledge about the ways in which its people lived, the languages spoken, and the cultural rituals of its people over two thousand years ago.
The Dadan Archaeological Project, a Saudi-French initiative carried out by a team formed by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) on behalf of The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and AFALULA – the French agency for the development of AlUla – have been excavating at Dadan since 2020, building on previous digs carried out by King Saud University.
The most recent excavation, and the subject of the documentary, took place from 4th October to 8th December 2022. The season unearthed many ancient treasures, giving specialists deeper insight into the site’s rich history. Thousands of artefacts – in metal, glass, terracotta, stone, bone and textile – were discovered, which then received the attention of the conservation team.
Key findings of this recent season included:
- The unearthing of early monumental structures dating to the mid-2nd millennium BCE in the great sanctuary of Dadan, under the remains of a later Lihyanite-period temple, evidence that the site was settled much earlier than previously thought.
- Elsewhere an entire neighbourhood dating from the late 1st millennium BCE has been uncovered in the centre of the city.
- There is now archaeological evidence showing that Dadan was continuously occupied for more than 1,800 years, from the mid-2nd millennium BCE to the 3rd century CE.
- The excavation of a Lihyanite funerary shrine recovered a unique assemblage of in situ cultic objects including 23 beautiful figurative statues.
- Excavation of the shrine also exposed features of an ancient stone quarry, providing valuable insight into ancient stone-working techniques.
- Nearly 2,000 new archaeological features located in the cliffs and mountains to the east have also been identified – including ancient tombs, defensive walls, mountaintop sanctuaries, and hundreds of panels with inscriptions and rock art – the majority of which date from between the late 2nd millennium BCE and the late 1st millennium BCE.
Described as the World’s Largest Open Museum, the Saudi Arabian region of AlUla is only recently emerging on the global stage as a landscape of extraordinary cultural and natural heritage. Dadan is just one part of a rich, tapestry of 200,000 years of human history that includes ancient tombs, inscriptions, villages and prehistoric monuments.
AlUla is also home to Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom (500km to the south of the famous capital, Petra in Jordan), named as Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
“The work being done here is critical to preserve the multiple treasures found in this rich archaeological region. We are uncovering history and insight that helps us to better understand ancient civilisations that settled in AlUla. These finds start to reposition our understanding of the significance of the North Arabian peoples and the Arabian Peninsula in early human society – information that is of global interest,” said Phillip Jones, Chief Tourism Officer, The Royal Commission for AlUla. “We want to share AlUla with the world and encourage future generations to learn more about AlUla’s rich history and the influence it continues to exert on society today.”
The most arresting features at Dadan are the skillfully crafted tombs cut into the red-rock cliff faces, up to 50 metres above the ruined city. In particular are the tombs adorned with a pair of lions sculpted out of the rock to signify the special significance of the persons buried here. In addition, hundreds of Dadanitic (the ancient language of the Dadanites and Lihyanites) inscriptions carved into the stone at nearby Jabal Ikmah. These beautifully crafted texts recount subjects as diverse as agriculture, religion and the everyday lives of a people lost in time. The site has been described as an open air library of huge importance.