Ministry of Culture organizes a celebration marking 20th anniversary of Saudi-French partnership preserving antiquities and heritage
Ashraf AboArafe
The Ministry of Culture and the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Saudi-French partnerships, and the qualitative results they achieved in the fields of antiquities, cooperation and heritage preservation.
The Ministry of Culture, represented by the Heritage Authority, organized, over two days, a symposium at the National Museum in Riyadh, in which the history of the Saudi-French archaeological missions in Al-Ula Governorate and some other cities was discussed, in addition to highlighting the latest developments on projects currently being implemented in the Kingdom, with the participation of experts from Saudi and French institutions.
The first modern Saudi-French archaeological mission was launched from the historic city of Al-Hijr in Al-Ula, in the year 2002, to pave the way for more than 15 archaeological missions around the Kingdom, in addition to implementing conservation projects and field work, such as surveying and excavation work and conducting specialized research in which dozens of scientists and experts participate. Antiquities from the two countries.
The Saudi-French partnership in the field of heritage protection contributed to their commitment to preserving the human heritage, and was a key factor in continuing the success of the archaeological excavations in Al-Ula.
Among the important artifacts discovered by the Saudi-French antiquities teams in Al-Ula is a head made of flint stone that was found in a tomb, and dates back to the Neolithic period. The teams also discovered a preserved skeleton of a 40-year-old woman, who is likely to have She lived in the Nabataean period, and in the kingdom of Dadan, a variety of full and half statues of sandstone were found, dating from the seventh to the first century BC.
The Saudi-French achievements in the field of antiquities and cultural cooperation have reached new heights recently, as the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate signed an agreement with the Louvre Museum in the French capital, Paris. Specifically, from a historical and cultural heritage, at a time when the work of archaeological missions continues in accordance with the Al-Ula strategy, which emphasizes highlighting historical sites and human civilizations, and cooperation with the most prominent experiences around the world.
Joint work teams from the two countries, under the supervision of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate, are conducting archaeological surveys and excavations, in addition to restoration work, in Al-Hajar north of Al-Ula, the Kingdom of Dadan, the cultural oasis and the old town in Al-Ula, and in several locations in the Khyber Governorate.
The work of the excavation team is underway in the Kingdom of “Dadan”, to explore more information about its cultural history, which extended for more than 2,500 years, and which was subject to the rule of the Lahyan civilization for several centuries. With the French Agency for the Development of Al-Ula, which was established in 2018, and aims to provide support in the fields of economic, tourism and cultural development for Al-Ula Governorate, as a focus of archaeological and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
