RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission on Thursday announced new discoveries at archaeological sites at Farasan Islands located around 40 kilometers away from Jazan city.

Excavation works by a joint Saudi-French team in cooperation with the University of Paris 1 resulted in discovering several architectural phenomena and artifacts dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The excavations were part of the commission’s scientific efforts in the field of survey and excavations of heritage sites in Saudi Arabia and preserving them as a cultural and economic resource.

The works of the scientific team unveiled rare pieces, including a Roman folded armor made of copper ingots and another kind of armor known as “Lorica squamata”, which is the most frequently used during the Roman era between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. In addition, the team discovered an inscription of garnet for “Genos”, a famous Roman figure in the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the head of a small stone statue.

A Saudi-French team had paid reconnaissance and exploratory trips to Farasan Island in 2005 and identified locations with archaeological indicators, before surveys started on the island in 2011. Previous explorations conducted between 2011 and 2020 led to several architectural and archaeological discoveries that showed that these sites date back to almost 1400 BC.

The exploration works at Farasan Island locations contributed to several archaeological discoveries and unveiled significant sites. This provided important insights into the civil role of the historical ports in the southern part of the Kingdom as well as their role in controlling the Red Sea trade and the ancient marine routes.

The archaeological discoveries also highlight the depth of civil life on the Farasan Islands and the importance of Saudi Arabia and its strategic location as being a hub of various civilizations.

The Heritage Commission continues intensified efforts to administrate the components of the cultural heritage and protect and maintain cultural sites, in addition to benefiting from them in the sustainable development process by formulating accurate strategies and wide partnerships at both local and international levels. — SPA