Researchers Study Ancient Kingdoms in Saudi Arabia
2021-11-07
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1In northwest Saudi Arabia, archaeologists are working to dig up the remains of the ancient and long-forgotten kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan.
2The remains of these kingdoms are in Al Ula, a place known mainly for the tombs of Madain Saleh, a 2,000-year-old city carved into rocks by the Nabateans.
3The Nabateans were a pre-Islamic Arab people who also built Petra in Jordan.
4A team of French and Saudi archaeologists is now digging at five nearby areas related to the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations.
5These were important powers some 2,000 years ago.
6Abdulrahman Al-Sohaibani co-leads the Dadan archaeological mission.
7He said, "It's a project that really tries to unlock the mysteries of (these) civilizations."
8In this case, unlock is a term that means to find out about something that was unknown.
9The Royal Commission for the project notes that Dadan appears in the Bible's Old Testament.
10The Lihyanite kingdom was one of the largest of its time.
11It went from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north.
12Lasting nearly 900 years, the two kingdoms controlled important trade routes.
13But very little is known about them.
14The team is hoping to learn more about their religion, social life and economy.
15Jerome Rohmer is a researcher with the French National Center for Scientific Research.
16Rohmer noted that previous digs had been limited to a smaller area around the tombs.
17He added that researchers would like to do a more complete study of the history of the area and "its material culture, its economy."
18In Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to change Saudi Arabia's economy and society, Al-Ula has gained recognition.
19The kingdom is hoping for international visitors as it tries to open up to the world and diversify its economy away from oil.
20Al-Ula's development is part of a move to preserve pre-Islamic areas in order to draw in non-Muslim tourists and strengthen national identity.
21I'm Dorothy Gundy.
1In northwest Saudi Arabia, archaeologists are working to dig up the remains of the ancient and long-forgotten kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan. 2The remains of these kingdoms are in Al Ula, a place known mainly for the tombs of Madain Saleh, a 2,000-year-old city carved into rocks by the Nabateans. The Nabateans were a pre-Islamic Arab people who also built Petra in Jordan. 3A team of French and Saudi archaeologists is now digging at five nearby areas related to the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations. These were important powers some 2,000 years ago. 4Abdulrahman Al-Sohaibani co-leads the Dadan archaeological mission. He said, "It's a project that really tries to unlock the mysteries of (these) civilizations." In this case, unlock is a term that means to find out about something that was unknown. 5The Royal Commission for the project notes that Dadan appears in the Bible's Old Testament. The Lihyanite kingdom was one of the largest of its time. It went from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north. 6Lasting nearly 900 years, the two kingdoms controlled important trade routes. But very little is known about them. The team is hoping to learn more about their religion, social life and economy. 7Jerome Rohmer is a researcher with the French National Center for Scientific Research. Rohmer noted that previous digs had been limited to a smaller area around the tombs. He added that researchers would like to do a more complete study of the history of the area and "its material culture, its economy." 8In Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to change Saudi Arabia's economy and society, Al-Ula has gained recognition. The kingdom is hoping for international visitors as it tries to open up to the world and diversify its economy away from oil. 9Al-Ula's development is part of a move to preserve pre-Islamic areas in order to draw in non-Muslim tourists and strengthen national identity. 10I'm Dorothy Gundy. 11Mohammed Benmansour reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 12_______________________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14kingdom -- n. a country whose ruler is a king or queen 15tomb - n. a building or chamber above or below the ground in which a dead body is kept 16carve -- v. to make (something, such as a sculpture or design) by cutting off pieces of the material it is made of 17route -- n. a way that someone or something regularly travels along 18diversify -- v. to change (something) so that it has more different kinds of people or things 19preserve - v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition