Mudassar Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, Oct 08 (APP/SPA): The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has launched the 2025–2026 Archaeology and Conservation Fieldwork Season, reinforcing AlUla’s growing prominence on the global stage as a leading hub for archaeological research and cultural heritage preservation.
The initiative brings together Saudi and international research teams conducting extensive fieldwork across AlUla and Khaybar, SPA said a statement received here on Wednesday.
Part of a broader vision positioning AlUla at the heart of scientific and cultural inquiry, the new season convenes leading Saudi and international institutions, affirming AlUla’s role as a world-class platform for uncovering the history of the Arabian Peninsula and reshaping understanding of its past.
More than 100 researchers and specialists will participate, representing renowned institutions such as King Saud University, Ghent University, Spain’s Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT-CSIC), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Université Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the Italian conservation group ESTIA. Saudi and international experts in archaeology, conservation, environment and digital heritage will work together to study sites ranging from the Neolithic era to the Islamic period in both AlUla and Khaybar.
The programme spans a wide scope of projects, including excavations, field surveys, digital documentation, specialist studies of finds and sustainable conservation solutions, in addition to advanced research in environmental studies, climate science, earth sciences and anthropology.
Fieldwork will focus on major heritage sites, notably Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, where a new team of excavators will reveal fresh insights into Nabataean life and Roman presence. Research will also progress at the site of Dadan, the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan, where recent analysis of environmental material, including more than 167,000 animal remains has provided rare detail on daily life in the oasis, over 2,000 years ago.
Projects also include: the documentation of ancient written inscriptions on stone, among the largest concentrations in Arabia; studies of historic pilgrimage routes and their cultural and religious significance; and investigations into early-to-middle Islamic urban development in Khaybar oasis. Specialist teams are returning to AlUla to advance pioneering research, for example into scientific conservation and restoration using the latest global technologies.
The new fieldwork season builds on a series of landmark discoveries in recent years. These include mustatils, rectangular stone structures dating back some 7,000 years and recognized as among the world’s earliest monumental, ritual architecture, and circular enclosures also build in stone pointing to semi-permanent settlement and shifts in land use. In Khaybar, excavations uncovered a Bronze Age town and a vast rampart wall encircling the oasis, revealing complex political and urban development. Drone and LiDAR surveys have further illuminated and recorded intricate urban systems from the Islamic period.
At the historic city of Qurh, survey and excavations have exposed an integrated network of markets, streets, a mosque, grand houses and underground water channels, underscoring the site’s regional significance and role as a vital node on trade and pilgrimage routes.
In AlUla’s Old Town and cultural oasis, large-scale analytical studies, the most comprehensive of their kind in Saudi Arabia, have highlighted the evolution of water and agricultural management systems, while uncovering deeper settlement layers that may trace the city’s origins back to the era of the ancient kingdoms.
Beyond research and discovery, the season includes field training programmes for archaeology students from Saudi and international universities. Using advanced tools such as 3D documentation and drone surveys, these initiatives are designed to equip a new generation of Saudi researchers with the expertise to lead future exploration and conservation efforts.
Through this fieldwork season, RCU reaffirms its commitment to investing in knowledge and developing national capabilities, while strengthening cultural tourism and preparing for international exhibitions and the Ancient Kingdoms Festival. RCU is also progressing towards establishing a dedicated research institute specialising in cultural heritage studies.