mystery ancient stone structures found in saudi desert
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Mystery ancient stone structures found in Saudi desert

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Mystery ancient stone structures found in Saudi desert

David Kennedy, said the man-made edifices, known as "gates".
Sydney - Arab Today

Nearly 400 mysterious ancient stone structures have been identified in the Saudi Arabian desert by an Australian researcher using Google Earth.

David Kennedy, whose team has spent decades recording thousands of archaeological sites in the Middle East, said the man-made edifices, known as "gates", are thought to have been constructed between 2,000 to 9,000 years ago.

But their purpose and function are a mystery.

"You can't see them in any intelligible way at the ground level but once you get up a few hundred feet, or with a satellite even higher, they stand out beautifully," the University of Western Australia academic Wednesday said in a statement.

Kennedy said he was baffled when he first saw the remote and inhospitable site, in the lava fields of an ancient volcano, on satellite images, despite some 40 years working in the region.

"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," he said.

"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."

His findings are described in a paper published next month in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy.

He said not much was known about the people who built them, but they were believed to be ancestors of the modern-day Bedouin.

Their discovery came about by chance after a Saudi doctor who was interested in the area's history contacted him, having heard about his work in Jordan.

"He said 'I'm interested in the heritage of my country, I've spotted on Google Earth that there are some rather strange structures in the lava fields'," Kennedy told broadcaster ABC.

"He sent the coordinates of them to me and I had a look and I was bowled over by them."

Kennedy, a founding director of the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project, specialises in aerial archaeology.

Since 1997, he and his team have photographed tens of thousands of stone-built structures, mostly in Jordan, ranging from giant circles to animal traps and funerary monuments.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mystery ancient stone structures found in saudi desert mystery ancient stone structures found in saudi desert

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mystery ancient stone structures found in saudi desert mystery ancient stone structures found in saudi desert

 



GMT 16:52 2017 Tuesday ,21 February

Iraqi troops push into Daesh-held southern

GMT 10:50 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Technip lands Bahrain refinery mega contract

GMT 08:12 2017 Monday ,10 April

Minister receives School Mini Olympics winners

GMT 13:15 2017 Thursday ,31 August

Al-Basher Arrives in the Holy Land

GMT 18:19 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

Producers' group moves to expel Weinstein

GMT 13:00 2015 Sunday ,18 October

DEWA participates in 11th Women’s Forum in France

GMT 15:48 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

GOIC Encourages Paper Industry in GCC States

GMT 02:41 2016 Tuesday ,08 November

US, Turkey COS held talks on Syria, Iraq

GMT 23:18 2017 Wednesday ,22 November

HRH Premier lauds Bahrain's ability to host major events

GMT 06:53 2017 Friday ,03 March

Ahly's former happy for CAF honoring

GMT 05:09 2017 Saturday ,25 February

Oprah Winfrey slated to address college graduates

GMT 23:47 2017 Monday ,13 November

Mohammed bin Rashid receives Italian Prime Minister

GMT 21:43 2016 Monday ,19 September

US airstrike allegedly kills 8 afghan policemen

GMT 18:29 2017 Monday ,11 September

British MPs to vote on bill to avoid 'chaotic' Brexit

GMT 10:41 2017 Sunday ,12 February

Quebec says 'No to Islamaphobia'

GMT 23:52 2017 Saturday ,09 September

France Says 26 French Hurt in Barcelona Attack
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday