Mysterious ancient camel structures in Saudi desert

[Attila the Hun]

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

 

[rambro]

This is fun but i can't see it at all, can you please point out where the camel carvings are?

LeL,i think it's my eyes

 

[Attila the Hun]

This is fun but i can't see it at all, can you please point out where the camel carvings are?

LeL,i think it's my eyes

Nor me. But it must be there somewhere.

I don't think many will be dying to see it if you ask me.

 

[PatrioticPaki]

I see it

 

[El Sidd]

I see it

Yeah
Me too

But can you see the busty mermaid?

 

[Lucky Breeze]

Nor me. But it must be there somewhere.

I don't think many will be dying to see it if you ask me.

May be they have found Salaih A.S 's baby camel.

 

[El Sidd]

May be they have found Salaih A.S 's baby camel.

Well the camel is a mysterious creature.

If cow can be worshipped. Why not camel?

Camelists everywhere!!

 

[Attila the Hun]

These "Camel" structures are fake. Who the hell do these Saudis think they're fooling?

I am mad!!!!

 

[Lucky Breeze]

If cow can be worshipped. Why not camel?

Which one you prefer?

 

[El Sidd]

Which one you prefer?

Allah of Quran.

Rest is man made.

 

[Attila the Hun]

"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."

I am still laughing at this part the most. What's so great of a bloody camel carved on a rock?? I really don't get it!!!

 

[El Sidd]

"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."

I am still laughing at this part the most. What's so great of a bloody camel carved on a rock?? I really don't get it!!!

Whats so great about any of the ancient stuff.

Gobleki Tepi is just a disco with weird creatures from some nerd erotica.

Why the hell it bothers you my man. Tell me that

 

[Attila the Hun]

Gobleki Tepi is just a disco with weird creatures from some nerd erotica

Still better than this Camel structure lol

 

[El Sidd]

Still better than this Camel structure lol

Lol

Dude its a recorded desert of atleast 12000 years.

Give nature some respect.

Even Rasputins dick rotted away.

 

[Arabi]

‘Unprecedented’ life-sized camel sculptures dating back 2,000 years are discovered engraved in rock in the Saudi desert

• The sculptures, some incomplete, were carved into three rocky spurs
• Researchers were able to identify a dozen or so reliefs representing camels
• Its desert setting and proximity to caravan routes suggest Camel Site was a stopover where travelers could rest or a site of worship

Life-sized camel sculptures dating back 2,000 years have been found at an inhospitable site in the Saudi desert.

While artistic depictions of camels have existed in the region going back millennia, the latest discovery is described as 'unprecedented' in its scale.

Located in the province of Al Jawf in north-west Saudi Arabia, Camel Site, as it is known, was explored by a Franco-Saudi research team.

The sculptures, some incomplete, were carved into three rocky spurs, and the researchers were able to identify a dozen or so reliefs representing camels.


However, why the artists chose to carve these animals in such a remote area remains a mystery.

Scientists suggest the area may have once been a place of worship, or that the camels were used as boundary markers.

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Pictured is a camel relief carved in rock (circled in red). The sculptures, some incomplete, were executed on three rocky spurs at the 'Camel Site' the province of Al Jawf in north-west Saudi Arabia

The study was conducted by researchers based at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France and colleagues from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), who explored the Camel Site in 2016 and 2017.

Archaeologist Guillaume Charloux, a research engineer at CNRS in France, said: 'Though natural erosion has partly destroyed some of the works, as well as any traces of tools, we were able to identify a dozen or so reliefs of varying depths representing camelids and equids.

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An animal scene represented at the Camel Site in Saudi Arabia. Located in the province of Al Jawf in north-west Saudi Arabia, Camel Site, as it is known, was explored by a Franco-Saudi research team

'The life-sized sculpted animals are depicted without harnessing in a natural setting.

'One scene in particular is unprecedented: it features a dromedary meeting a donkey, an animal rarely represented in rock art.

'Some of the works are thus thematically very distinct from the representations often found in this region.

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Archaeologists say the 'unprecedented' camel relief find sheds new light on the evolution of rock art in the Arabian Peninsula. Located in the province of Al Jawf in north-west Saudi Arabia, Camel Site, as it is known, was explored by a Franco-Saudi research team

'Technically, they also differ from those discovered at other Saudi sites - frequently simple engravings of dromedaries without relief - or the sculpted facades of Al Ḩijr.

'In addition, certain Camel Site sculptures on upper rock faces demonstrate indisputable technical skills.

'Camel Site can now be considered a major showcase of Saudi rock art in a region especially propitious for archaeological discovery.'

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Pictured is a camel relief (circled in red) carved in a rock site in Al Jawf in north-west Saudi Arabia. The site, dubbed the 'Camel Site', was explored by French and Saudi researchers in 2016 and 2017

According to the study, engraving and, less often, painting were the most commonly used techniques in Arabian rock art, whereas sunken reliefs and sculptures in high-and-low relief were reserved for architectural decoration.

As such, Arabian rock art from the Neolithic period (10,000 BC) to modern times tends to be linear and two-dimensional.

The most common themes in the Arabian peninsula are scenes of war, hunting, processions of animals (dromedaries, ibex, wild goats, cattle), enigmatic symbols and geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures engraved among graffiti and monumental rock-cut inscriptions.

A figure of a camel head can be seen in this rock-relief. This new finding is rare, as Arabian rock art from the Neolithic period (10,000 BC) to modern times tends to be linear and two-dimensional. The outline of what it looks like is shown right

The researchers wrote in their study that the 'relative scarcity of ancient Arabian rock reliefs has been a significant barrier to understanding the development, function and socio-cultural context of such art'.

The researchers said that, though the site is hard to date, comparison with a relief at Petra in Jordan leads them to believe the sculptures were completed in the first centuries BC or AD.

They said its desert setting and proximity to caravan routes suggest Camel Site - ill suited for permanent settlement - was a stopover where travelers could rest or a site of worship.

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The researchers wrote in their study that the 'relative scarcity of ancient Arabian rock reliefs has been a significant barrier to understanding the development, function and socio-cultural context of such art'. Pictured is a site with a camel relief (top left) at Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia

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Life-sized camel sculptures dating back 2,000 years have been found in the Saudi desert - unlike any others in the region. Pictured is a site with a camel relief at the Camel Site in north-west Saudi Arabia



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...lief-carvings-Saudi-Arabia.html#ixzz58bjLNwlw