Mysterious ancient camel structures in Saudi desert

[Attila the Hun]

Lol

Dude its a recorded desert of atleast 12000 years.

Give nature some respect.

Even Rasputins dick rotted away.

Why do you care if I care or not , dude?

 

[El Sidd]

Why do you care if I care or not , dude?

Your my bro i am being told haha

Dude that was a literal question not a rhetorical

 

[Attila the Hun]

Your my bro i am being told haha

Dude that was a literal question not a rhetorical

My bad bro.

 

[Imran Khan]

this is what happen when you love so much camels .everything look like camels to you

 

[NoOne'sBoy]

sneaky saudis been drawing camel toes everywhere since the beginning of time

 

[PatrioticPaki]

Yeah
Me too

But can you see the busty mermaid?

Lol, nope

 

[BATMAN]

View attachment 457065

Squinting in the Saudi desert, Hussain al-Khalifah points at his unprecedented archaeological discovery -- camels carved on russet-hued rocky spurs that could shed new light on the evolution of rock art.

Around a dozen humped sculptures, some of them damaged from erosion and vandalism, are possibly around 2,000 years old and were recently found in a private property along a desert crossing in the northern province of Al-Jouf.

Chiseled on three rocky spurs, the sculptures, which also depict equids, or hoofed mammals, show a level of artistic skill unseen in other rock art forms in the Saudi desert.

They could help unravel the mysteries of ancient life in the Arabian peninsula.

“They are a work of artistry and creativity,” Khalifah said in Al-Jouf, now well known in archeological circles as “the camel site.”

Khalifah, part of a Franco-Saudi research team that explored the site in 2016 and 2017, said he accidentally discovered the carvings some years ago when a local friend told him about a “camel-shaped mountain.”
“Instead when I visited the area, I found camels were carved in the mountain outcrops. This is truly unique,” he said

Camels, for centuries venerated as the “ship of the desert,” are a familiar motif in artworks from the kingdom. But the three dimensional engravings in Al-Jouf, some featuring only part of a camel’s body such as the hooves, differ from those discovered at other Saudi sites.

Many are perched high on the outcrops and would have required ropes or scaffolding.

One engraving in particular stands out -- a camel facing what appears to be a donkey, mule or horse, animals that have rarely been represented in the region’s rock art.

“The three dimensional carvings show great skill in their level of naturalism and their sheer size,” Maria Guagnin, from the Germany-based Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, said.

“This may potentially change our understanding of prehistoric population dynamics and cultural traits.” But the site is shrouded in mystery, with little information on who created the carvings or the tools they used.
Khalifah said the closest may be the Nabateans, a nomadic Arab tribe known for founding the city of Petra in modern-day Jordan that was carved out of sandstone desert cliffs.

The discovery has shone a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s rich bedouin heritage. The kingdom is endowed with thousands of examples of painted rock art and ancient inscriptions.

Archaeologists last year used Google Maps to find hundreds of stone “gates” built from rock in a remote Saudi desert, which may date back as far as 7,000 years.

They also discovered evidence of 46 lakes that used to exist in Saudi Arabia’s northern Nefud desert, which experts say has lent credence to the theory that the region swung between periods of desertification and a wetter climate.

The carvings in Al-Jouf may be the most significant recent discovery.

“This is an important scientific discovery which reminds us of the important pre-Islamic history of Saudi Arabia,” archaeologist Guillaume Charloux, from France’s Center National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), said.

“I can only hope that it will lead people to discover the variety and richness of the Saudi Arabian past,” said Charloux, who led the research team with Khalifah.

The carvings have different styles, which suggests there was more than one artist behind them. It is possible, archaeologists say, that the Al-Jouf site was one of veneration or on a caravan route used as a resting place or boundary marker.
“My hypothesis today is that the sculptors are local people, and that the site is an emblematic place on the regional and caravan routes towards Mesopotamia,” said Charloux.

More fieldwork is now needed to find the answers.

Many of the eroded sculptures are hard to date, but archaeologists estimate they were possibly completed in the first centuries B.C or A.D.

For now, Saudi authorities are closely guarding the Al-Jouf site from any treasure hunters, amid local speculation of hidden gold. The government is also seeking ownership of the site from the local landowner.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mysterious-ancient-camel-structures-in-saudi-desert-127998

And you got banned for this?

Whats so great about any of the ancient stuff.

There can't be a more Perfect moment to remind us all about the futility of ancient stuff.

 

[The SC]

this is what happen when you love so much camels .everything look like camels to you

That was the Mercedes Benz of its time.. horses were the Ferrari..

 

[Ocean]

Quran is also man made. Cows and camels are not.

Who made cows?

View attachment 457065

Squinting in the Saudi desert, Hussain al-Khalifah points at his unprecedented archaeological discovery -- camels carved on russet-hued rocky spurs that could shed new light on the evolution of rock art.

Around a dozen humped sculptures, some of them damaged from erosion and vandalism, are possibly around 2,000 years old and were recently found in a private property along a desert crossing in the northern province of Al-Jouf.

Chiseled on three rocky spurs, the sculptures, which also depict equids, or hoofed mammals, show a level of artistic skill unseen in other rock art forms in the Saudi desert.

They could help unravel the mysteries of ancient life in the Arabian peninsula.

“They are a work of artistry and creativity,” Khalifah said in Al-Jouf, now well known in archeological circles as “the camel site.”

Khalifah, part of a Franco-Saudi research team that explored the site in 2016 and 2017, said he accidentally discovered the carvings some years ago when a local friend told him about a “camel-shaped mountain.”
“Instead when I visited the area, I found camels were carved in the mountain outcrops. This is truly unique,” he said

Camels, for centuries venerated as the “ship of the desert,” are a familiar motif in artworks from the kingdom. But the three dimensional engravings in Al-Jouf, some featuring only part of a camel’s body such as the hooves, differ from those discovered at other Saudi sites.

Many are perched high on the outcrops and would have required ropes or scaffolding.

One engraving in particular stands out -- a camel facing what appears to be a donkey, mule or horse, animals that have rarely been represented in the region’s rock art.

“The three dimensional carvings show great skill in their level of naturalism and their sheer size,” Maria Guagnin, from the Germany-based Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, said.

“This may potentially change our understanding of prehistoric population dynamics and cultural traits.” But the site is shrouded in mystery, with little information on who created the carvings or the tools they used.
Khalifah said the closest may be the Nabateans, a nomadic Arab tribe known for founding the city of Petra in modern-day Jordan that was carved out of sandstone desert cliffs.

The discovery has shone a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s rich bedouin heritage. The kingdom is endowed with thousands of examples of painted rock art and ancient inscriptions.

Archaeologists last year used Google Maps to find hundreds of stone “gates” built from rock in a remote Saudi desert, which may date back as far as 7,000 years.

They also discovered evidence of 46 lakes that used to exist in Saudi Arabia’s northern Nefud desert, which experts say has lent credence to the theory that the region swung between periods of desertification and a wetter climate.

The carvings in Al-Jouf may be the most significant recent discovery.

“This is an important scientific discovery which reminds us of the important pre-Islamic history of Saudi Arabia,” archaeologist Guillaume Charloux, from France’s Center National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), said.

“I can only hope that it will lead people to discover the variety and richness of the Saudi Arabian past,” said Charloux, who led the research team with Khalifah.

The carvings have different styles, which suggests there was more than one artist behind them. It is possible, archaeologists say, that the Al-Jouf site was one of veneration or on a caravan route used as a resting place or boundary marker.
“My hypothesis today is that the sculptors are local people, and that the site is an emblematic place on the regional and caravan routes towards Mesopotamia,” said Charloux.

More fieldwork is now needed to find the answers.

Many of the eroded sculptures are hard to date, but archaeologists estimate they were possibly completed in the first centuries B.C or A.D.

For now, Saudi authorities are closely guarding the Al-Jouf site from any treasure hunters, amid local speculation of hidden gold. The government is also seeking ownership of the site from the local landowner.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mysterious-ancient-camel-structures-in-saudi-desert-127998

Thats amazing given the enormous size of rocks. Could be people of Aad or Thamud who carved them out as they were sturdiest men.

 

[Ocean]

Human doesn't.
But quran is human made.

Yes i know cow isnt man made, but who made it answer it ?

 

[Ocean]

Many. Aliens, evolution or even God.

In absence of any credible evidence, I chose not to cling to any one of those. I am more of spiritual than religious for this reason.

Mind you, I am not atheist.

so it doesnt confuse u that ppl worship cow as God but they dont know who created cow who is herself considered a God?

 

[Ocean]

Who says it doesn't? I see a confused lot, rather scared lot all over the place who expect some miracle to happen which will help them in their life.

Today, God survives on fear, I dont see my god that way.

Miracles are even sought by atheists , if u look closely all humans regardless of faiths are seeking miracles everyday in their everyday situations. Some seek mriacle to win a beauty pageant despite knowing there are better contenders than them ,some for other reasons.

Today, God survives on fear, I dont see my god that way.

Fear of God is necessary so that humans dont transgress by killing humans over eating cow meat or over suspicions of blasphemy like salman taseers murder.

Who says it doesn't? I see a confused lot,

So you are admitting it confuses you? Thats all i wanted to know. Discussion has served its purpose.

 

[oOo]

Miracles are even sought by atheists , if u look closely all humans regardless of faiths are seeking miracles everyday in their everyday situations. Some seek mriacle to win a beauty pageant despite knowing there are better contenders than them ,some for other reasons.

Fear of God is necessary so that humans dont transgress by killing humans over eating cow meat or over suspicions of blasphemy like salman taseers murder.


So you are admitting it confuses you? Thats all i wanted to know. Discussion has served its purpose.

Just FYI - there are two type kids in the class. The one who follow the discipline and study out of their own, rest are shown fear of punishment and stick.

Same way human behaves. Some stick to human values out of choice and some by fear. The purpose of God is more prudent for stick type people. The same is covered in concept of advait and dvaita in arya samaj that does not engage in idolatry.

Did it hit you sometimes why hindu god and goddess are mostly equipped with plenty of weapons and plethora of stories telling about how they killed bad people.

What is the concept of hell and heaven if not carrot and stick?

What kind of kid you are determine what kind of religion you need.

 

[Irfan Baloch]

Who made cows?

Thats amazing given the enormous size of rocks. Could be people of Aad or Thamud who carved them out as they were sturdiest men.

a suggestion from a very long experience that don't engage people who troll on religion and their posts are made solely to cause flame war. logical discussion is a waste of time and actually feeds their malicious intent.

I request people of all faith (and without faith) to show restraint (if you cant respect others) on religious discussions.