Ancient Stone 'Gates' Discovered In Saudi Arabia

You might think of sand and desert when you think of Saudi Arabia but the country actually has much more to offer, specifically in regards to heritage and history. A Saudi doctor discovered the stone “gates” using Google Earth and then called Professor David Kennedy, a researcher in Classics and Ancient History after hearing about the professor’s work in Jordan.

Professor Kennedy and the Saudi doctor identified the structures using high quality satelite imagery after which the doctor and his friends went to visit the site to see it for themselves. 

Almost 400 of the gates have been found and appear to be the oldest man-made structures in the lava field. The “gates” are different lengths, with some reaching up to 500 metres and all of them are about 50 centimetres high.

These man made structures were spotted in Harrat Khaybar, a lava field north of Medina in Saudi Arabia and are thought to have been constructed between 2,000 and 9,000 years ago by the Bedouin ancestors.

According to Professor Kennedy the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to an immense number of archaeological sites that are yet to be identified, recorded and mapped.

Not much is known of the people who built the constructions and archaeological fieldwork is required to determine the exact age and purpose of the constructions.

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"I refer to them as Gates because when you view them from above they look like a simple field gate lying flat, two upright posts on the sides, connected by one or more long bars. They don't look like structures where people would have lived nor do they look like animal traps or for disposing of dead bodies. It's a mystery as to what their purpose would have been,” said the Professor.

There are eighteen documented archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia and four UNESCO world heritage sites.

Hopefully more research will be done into the undiscovered archaeological sites in the country after this latest discovery.