4,000-Year-Old, 9-Mile Long Rampart Enclosing Saudi Arabia's Khaybar Oasis Discovered
A vast fortification enclosing Saudi Arabia's Khaybar oasis had been discovered. The ancient rampart reportedly consists of a length of embankment.
Rampart Enclosing Saudi Arabia's Khaybar Discovered
One of Saudi Arabia's natural treasures, the oasis is home to various indigenous flora and fauna. It is a freshwater source and has historically been inhabited by people.
Less than half of the rampart that dated back 4,000 years ago remains today. Still, scientists from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Royal Commission for AlUla have determined that it was once approximately 9 miles long based on field surveys, remote sensing data, and architectural studies.
According to the experts ' estimations, the rampart was roughly 16 feet high and was between 5 and 8 feet thick—the enormous fortification surrounded 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) of land.
Due to the significant alteration of the surrounding desert terrain over time, the fortress building had never been discovered. (A prominent fortification from the medieval era is visible near the oasis.)
According to the researchers, the rampart is thought to have originated between 2250 and 1950 B.C., during the Bronze Age.
There are similarities between the Khaybar site and other Bronze Age walled oases in the area. Evidence shows that sedentary populations lived in the North Arabian Desert oasis as early as the fourth and third millennia B.C.
Why Was the Rampart Built?
The rampart's discovery raises concerns regarding the purpose of the construction and the characteristics of the people who erected the fortifications, even though it is evident that the Khaybar oasis was part of a network of walled oases in northwest Arabia.
"The purpose was probably mainly protective" and designed to delimit an agricultural area and sedentary population," said CNRS researcher Guillaume Charloux, an author of the paper. "An army did not operate protection, but a passive defense."
Archaeologists found a massive hand axe in northwest Saudi Arabia last year, estimated to be over 200,000 years old. An international study team found the ancient stone artifact while conducting an archaeological investigation in a desert region called the Qurh Plain.
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What's Khaybar?
Khaybar is among the northwest Arabian region's natural beauties. Khaybar was born out of desert volcanic activity, has an amazing landscape, and is a geological gem.
The environment supports an abundance of natural plant and animal species. Freshwater springs and "wadis" provide an oasis-like environment that spawns stationary and nomadic human activity waves.
The whole extent of Khaybar's enormous size is shown from above. Our understanding of the early history of northwest Arabia and its connections to the rest of the region is changing due to new findings and specialized research fields brought about by aerial archaeology and photography.
Like its sibling oasis, Tayma and AlUla, Khaybar is unearthing new tales from its past that have never been spoken. The ruins of fortifications, the crafting customs, and the lifestyles that persist here today prove that its records are intertwined with time.
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