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A group of French archaeologists from the National Center for Scientific Research discovered a small city called al-Natah, 4400 years old, in the Khaibar oasis in western Saudi Arabia. Research published in the scientific journal PLOS One.
Scientists have excavated the central district and residential quarter, surrounded by protective ramparts. A large quantity of pottery and grinding stones were found in the residential area, as well as the remains of at least 50 dwellings, which may have been made of clay.
In the center of al-Natah were two buildings that could be used as administrative quarters. A necropolis was found to the west of this place. High round tombs, similar to stepped towers, have been preserved.
The city in the Khaibar oasis was abandoned between 1500 and 1300 BC for an unknown reason.
According to scientists, the find suggests that urbanization on the Arabian Peninsula was slower. At that time, large cities were already flourishing in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean, while the population of al-Natah was just over 500 people.
