The site have traces of human occupation dating back to Neolithic times
24 July 2018
| Last updated on 25 July 2018
Saudi Arabia, as well as Oman, now has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites that a country is allowed to have.
It was announced on Friday, June 20th, 2018 that Saudi Arabia's lush Al Ahsa Oasis has been listed as a World Heritage Site.
This comes at a great time as Saudi is placing higher priority on developing their tourism sector as part of their Vision 2030. Saudi’s Vision 2030 is a plan created by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to wean the Kingdom off of their economic dependency on oil.
The Al Ahsa Oasis is located in the eastern part of the Kingdom. It is said to have two archaeological sites from pre-Islamic heritage with traces of human occupation dating back to Neolithic times. Both these sites are yet-to-be-excavated. According to Saudi’s UNESCO submission, Al Ahsa was a commercial centre for the Hajar territory of Bahrain.
SEE ALSO: Changes You Can Expect To See In Saudi Arabia In 2018
Archaeological evidence also shows that it exchanged products from southern Arabia and Persia as well as throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Other UNESCO sites in Saudi Arabia include:
- Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madain Salih)
- Rock Art in the Ha'il Region
- Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah
- At-Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah
Tourists can now visit these world heritage sites as Saudi has started issuing tourists visas to the Kingdom.
