Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) will organize its first Historical Artifacts Forum on Nov. 7 in Riyadh.

The commission has announced the names of 140 citizens who helped it retrieve historical artifacts, identify historical sites or preserve Saudi Arabia's cultural heritage. The commission will honor them during the forum. SCTH President Prince Sultan Bin Salman will present them with certificates of appreciation.

The forum will be held with the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

Naif Al-Qanour, SCTH director for recording and preserving artifacts, said the commission was currently completing the digital documentation of around 52,000 pieces of artifacts in its care.

"Around 32,000 of these artifacts were retrieved from abroad and 20,000 from within the Kingdom. They were presented to the commission by citizens. The digital documentation of these pieces is a part of the commission's project to collect data on historical monuments and artifacts and store them in a national databank according to international archiving and recording standards," said Al-Qanour.

He said compiling digital data of artifacts would enable the commission to provide comprehensive visual data such as maps varying in measurements and other hi-tech presentations.

"We can tell the journey of a piece of artifact through digital scan. The artifacts found abroad must have left the land of the Kingdom though various means. Some of them might have been carried home by foreign travelers," he said.

Al-Qanour said the story of the Taima Obelisk, a precious national artifact, was famous and quite interesting. The obelisk was spotted by German traveler Julius Euting.

"Euting had said the Taima Obelisk was the most prized possession he took with him from the Arabian Peninsula," said Al-Qanour.

He said after the death of the French traveler Charles Huber, the obelisk was delivered to France by the then French consul in Jeddah.

"Many employees of foreign companies, especially in the field of petroleum, carried out multiple field trips in various parts of the Kingdom to study the geology of the land and to get to know its natural phenomena," said Al-Qanour.

"During these trips, many of them had found artifacts that they had simply taken out of the country when their work contract ended." he added.

"They sometimes kept the artifacts with them or presented them to museums in their home country. Some people dug up artifacts during their treasure hunts and pawned them off to make money," said Al-Qanour.

He explained that random excavations had harmed artifacts and archeological sites.

"We are actively searching for artifacts in the sea as much as on the land. Retrieving artifacts is a priority to the commission. The commission holds exhibitions to raise awareness among people who might have artifacts in their possession and inspire them to present them to the commission for their preservation in their natural environment," said Al-Qanour.

He said the commission was giving monetary rewards to anyone who returned the artifacts to the commission.

"Any person returning artifacts to the commission is a first-degree advocate of national heritage. The same appellation applies to whoever reports an artifact theft. The commission prepared a list of missing artifacts to make it easier for people hunting for artifacts to know which pieces are the ones of value to us," said Al-Qanour.