Tag: Saudi Arabia

Deserts in Oman.

One of the reasons I find the deserts here in Oman so fascinating is the amount of archaeological sites that can be found, usually helped by word of mouth from the Bedouin. Standing next to a bed of flint that has been left by its workers a few thousand years ago. Rock art that has only recently come to the attention of those interested in such things. Stone artefacts that defy any description of their purpose.

The Rub al khali (the largest sand desert in the world) along with the Ramlat al-Wahiba are so vast that no one has been able to fully explore even a small area. One of the nice things about Google Maps is the ability to sit in comfort and slowly search for unusual surface indications or as in Saudi Arabia; major stone structures.

Load-up the Landrover, usually find someone as crazy and go look!

So being able to get a copy of this book, has kept me out of mischief for days…………..

cover

From the Back Cover:

The contemporary deserts of Arabia form some of the most dramatic arid landscapes in the world; yet, during many times in the past, the region was well-watered, containing evidence for rivers and lakes. Climatic fluctuations through time must have had a profound effect on human population that lived and passed through the region. In this book, paleoenvironmental specialists, archaeologists and geneticists are brought together to provide a comprehensive account of the evolution of human populations in Arabia. A wide range of topics are explored in this book, including environmental change and its impact on human populations, the movement and dispersal of populations through the region, and the origin and spread of food producing economies. New theories and interpretations are presented which provide new insights into the evolution of human populations in a key region of the world.

Archaeological structures: Saudi Arabia.

Just been having a stroll around Saudi Arabia   Google Earth …….
Found this: Enlarge the image using the link ‘view larger map’ and zoom into the green arrow.
looks very interesting and seems to have only recently come to the attention of Aerial Archaeologists  due Google Earth enhancing the resolution of the area.
I cannot as yet find much about them, other than they have been known about since the 1920 when Royal Airforce pilots mention unusual archaeological structures: I knew I should have got out more when I was there in the early 80′s.

Update:
If the above has got your interest, have a look at this link for:  saudiaramcoworld desktop.archeology for more information that has just been sent for me to peruse.

South America does not have a monopoly on this stuff – fascinating.