[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Large-scale excavations to convey Kingdom's archeological worth to the world" ids="104615,104616,104617"] INTERNATIONAL teams who have worked with their Saudi counterparts to carry out archeological excavations in search of historical sites in the Kingdom have emphasized that the country is replete with heritage sites of global import. Several conferences in the Kingdom and abroad have stressed the importance of these sites and praised the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Protection of Cultural Heritage. The program aims to highlight and promote the Kingdom's cultural heritage while conserving it for future generations. Dr. Khalil Al-Brahim, founding member of the Saudi Society of Archeological Studies (SSAS), stressed that the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH)'s cooperation with several global archeological teams help explore national and cultural heritage sites and enhance the Kingdom's position as a country that has many significant archeological sites. Dr. Ahmad Al-Zaylaee, an SSAS member, called for increased collaboration with global archeological teams to explore and discover more heritage sites and provide full protection to all existing sites. "Bringing teams of experts from Europe and the US will help dig up new sites that remain buried underneath the urban development. Such global teams can promote our cultural heritage at archeological conferences, seminars and other events around the world," he explained. Dr. Abdulnasser Al-Zahrani, dean of Tourism and Archeological Sites School, King Saud University, stressed the importance of excavations in preserving national heritage and encouraged the SCTH to carry out more excavations in collaboration with global teams. In his opinion, excavations will raise public awareness about the importance of archeological sites. Dr. Hussain Abul Hassan, SCTH vice president, said the latest archeological excavations unraveled several sites and helped Saudi and global teams to obtain information to explain certain important phases in the history of Saudi Arabia. "The SCTH works with 30 teams from France, Italy, US, Britain, Germany, Japan and Belgium. Most experts in these teams enjoy considerable clout in their fields. After graduating from prestigious institutions, they have carried out excavation works around the world and are familiar with advanced technology used in such missions," he said. The SCTH manages and operates several museums in various regions of the Kingdom. It is currently building five new museums, in addition to restoring six others and rehabilitating 15 historical buildings, which will be transformed into cultural centers. The commission aims to enhance collaboration between the Riyadh National Museum and renowned global museums. The SCTH is also working on developing and restoring heritage villages, historical districts and traditional markets. The National Transformational Program, being implemented by the government as part of Vision 2030, has set aside huge budgets to develop national heritage sites all over the country. More than 17 handicraft centers, 18 heritage sites, 18 museums, 80 archeological sites will be developed under the program. The SCTH is planning to apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to recognize 10 sites as world heritage sites. UNESCO has already included four heritage sites in the Kingdom on the list: Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Saleh) (2008), Al-Turaif District in Dir'iyah (2010), Historic Jeddah (2014) and the Rock Art of Hail (2015).
