The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area

The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area

Lying at a strategic point of the ancient trade routes of the Arabian Peninsula, the property was abruptly abandoned around the 5th century CE. Nearly 12,000 archaeological remains have been found, spanning from prehistoric times to the Late pre-Islamic era, testifying to the successive occupation of three different populations and their adaptation to the evolving environmental conditions. Archaeological features include the Palaeolithic and Neolithic tools of early people, tapered structures, cairns and circular constructions, the sacred mountain of Khashm Qaryah, rock carvings, funerary tumuli and cairns in the valley, forts/caravanserai, the oasis and its ancient water management system, and the vestiges of the city of Qaryat al-Faw.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Le paysage culturel de la zone archéologique d’Al-Faw

Situé en un point stratégique des anciennes routes commerciales de la péninsule arabique, le bien a été brusquement abandonné vers le Ve siècle de notre ère. Près de 12 000 vestiges archéologiques datant des temps préhistoriques à l’époque préislamique tardive y ont été découverts, témoignant de son occupation successive par trois populations différentes, ainsi que de leur adaptation face à l’évolution des conditions environnementales. Les caractéristiques archéologiques comprennent les outils paléolithiques et néolithiques des peuples anciens, ainsi que des structures effilées, des cairns et des constructions circulaires, la montagne sacrée de Khashm Qaryah, des gravures rupestres, un paysage funéraire composé de tumulus et de cairns dans la vallée, des forts/caravansérails, l’oasis et son ancien système de gestion de l’eau et les vestiges de la ville de Qaryat al-Faw.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

المنظر الثقافي لمنطقة الفاو الأثرية (المملكة العربية
يكمن هذا الموقع في نقطة استراتيجية من طرق التجارة القديمة في شبه الجزيرة العربية، وقد هُجر فجأة قرابة القرن الخامس الميلادي. وقد وُجدت فيه 12000 قطعة تقريباً من البقايا الأثرية التي تعود إلى فترة تمتد من عصور ما قبل التاريخ إلى أواخر عصر ما قبل الإسلام، وهي تشهد على تعاقب ثلاثة شعوب مختلفة على الموقع، كما تشهد على تأقلمها مع تطور الظروف البيئية. ومن السمات الأثرية التي يحملها الموقع هناك الأدوات التي استخدمتها الشعوب الأولى وتعود للعصر الحجري القديم والعصر الحجري الحديث، والبنى المستدقة والأكوام الصخرية والمباني الدائرية، والجبل المقدس المعروف باسم "خشم قرية"، والنقوش على الصخور، إلى جانب التلال والأكوام الصخرية الجنائزية، والحصون/الخانات، والواحة مع النظام القديم لإدارة المياه فيها وأطلال قرية الفاو.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

法乌考古区文化景观
法乌(al-Faw)古城坐落于阿拉伯半岛古代贸易路线的战略要冲,在公元5世纪左右突遭遗弃。目前发现的近1.2万处考古遗迹涵盖史前时代至前伊斯兰时代后期,见证了3个族群先后在此居住的痕迹,以及他们对不断变化环境条件的适应过程。考古遗迹包括旧石器时代和新石器时代的早期人类工具、锥形结构、石堆和圆形建筑、哈希姆·卡里亚(Khashm Qaryah)圣山、石刻、山谷中的土冢和石冢、堡垒/商队驿站、绿洲和古老的水务系统,以及法乌古城遗址。

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Культурный ландшафт археологической зоны Аль-Фау
Это место, расположенное в стратегически важной точке древних торговых путей Аравийского полуострова, было внезапно покинуто около V века н. э. Здесь было найдено почти 12 000 археологических останков, относящихся к периоду от доисторической до поздней доисламской эпохи. Эти находки свидетельствуют о последовательном освоении территории тремя различными группами населения и их адаптации к меняющимся условиям окружающей среды. Археологические артефакты включают в себя орудия труда ранних людей эпохи палеолита и неолита, конусообразные конструкции, каирны и круговые сооружения, священную гору Хашм-Карьях, наскальные рисунки, погребальные курганы и каирны в долине, крепости/караван-сараи, оазис, древнюю систему водоснабжения, а также руины города Карьят-аль-Фау.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Paisaje cultural de la zona arqueológica de Al-Faw

El sitio, ubicado en un punto estratégico de las antiguas rutas comerciales de la península arábiga, fue abandonado abruptamente en torno al siglo V e. c. Se han hallado cerca de 12 000 restos arqueológicos que abarcan desde la prehistoria hasta la época preislámica tardía y que atestiguan la ocupación sucesiva de tres poblaciones diferentes, así como su adaptación a la evolución de las condiciones ambientales. Entre los elementos arqueológicos encontrados destacan las herramientas paleolíticas y neolíticas de los primeros pobladores, estructuras cónicas, túmulos y construcciones circulares, la montaña sagrada de Khashm Qaryah, grabados rupestres, fuertes/caravasar, el oasis y su antiguo sistema de gestión del agua, y los vestigios de la ciudad de Qaryat al-Faw.

source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

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.