Archaeologists In Saudi Have Discovered The Oldest Known Architectural Plans In The World
If you thought Saudi Arabia was blessed with a rich history, think again, ‘cos it’s not just rich in it; it’s practically inundated with it.
Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia and Jordan have made an extraordinary discovery; they’ve unearthed the oldest known architectural plans in history. These ancient plans, engraved on stone slabs, depict intricate structures that were used as hunting traps during the Stone Age, approximately 9,000 years ago.
These engravings depict these structures, referred to as “kites” due to their distinctive shape. Kites were designed to corral and slaughter wild animals like gazelles.
Kites are massive stone-built structures used for hunting animals and are well documented in the desert steppe of Jordan and Syria, like this one photographed by @APAAME. However, the ones we located in northwest Saudi Arabia are quite different. 2/13 pic.twitter.com/t1g3Dk64Mc
— PAKEP (@PAKEP_KSA) August 11, 2022
The groundbreaking research, published in the scientific journal PLOS One, was conducted by archaeologists from various institutions.
😲😲😲😲👇🏼👇🏼
Archaeologists discovered a 9,000 years old architectural plan to mega structures, which is the oldest in the world, in Saudi Arabia 📍💚🇸🇦 https://t.co/8KlSUwC4ny
— ﮼ابوخالد (@AzeezLazez) May 17, 2023
More than 6,000 of these “kites” have been found across the Middle East and central Asia, with the highest concentration in what is now northern Saudi Arabia, southern Syria, and eastern Jordan.
Despite their prevalence, these archaeological wonders have been little studied until now.
You fly over the ancient lava fields in Arabia, and you’ll see these structures that go back millennia still extant. Thanks to this study, we’ve finally learned that they weren’t just laid out at random; there was an architectural plan that the builders stuck to. Saudi history never fails to amaze.
