A 4,000-year-old fortress was found in an oasis in Saudi Arabia (5 photos)

Scientists have discovered an ancient fortress wall in an oasis in the Arabian Desert, which is about 4 thousand years old. The length of the giant wall was about 14.5 kilometers. It may have been in use for several centuries before being abandoned.





Archaeologists made a grand discovery in the Khaybar oasis, located in the Saudi Arabian desert near the city of Al-Ula. They found a giant wall that was once part of an ancient fortress. Initially, the length of the wall was approximately 14.5 km and the height was 5 meters. She also had about 180 bastions. Today, only 5.9 km of the wall and 74 of the 180 bastions remain. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal remains found at the excavation site showed that the wall dates back to between 2250 and 1950. BC. - and she is more than 4000 years old. Remains of pottery on the wall also suggest that it dates from this time. According to archaeologists, it was used for several centuries, and then it was abandoned.



One of the purposes of building the wall was military defense “from the raids of nomads.” The wall could also be used to mark their territory and protect against rain floods. According to scientists, during that period the local population increasingly chose a sedentary lifestyle and designated territories, as indicated by other similar finds in Saudi Arabia. Experts estimate that the construction of such a fortification required about 250 people who worked for 4 years, as well as 164 thousand cubic meters of stone and brick.





Excavations at the Khaybar oasis began in 2020 and are ongoing. Before the excavations, scientists found the site using satellite images. According to archaeologists, they are on the verge of a big discovery: they may be able to find evidence that there was a large settlement in these places.