[MSN] Nearly 100,000 Historical Sites Dot Saudi Landscape

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    Nearly 100,000 Historical Sites Dot Saudi Landscape
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
 

JEDDAH, 2 May 2007 — Saudi Arabia is replete with archaeological sites 
dating back to thousands of years, according to Dr. Mohammed 
Al-Ruwaished, deputy minister of education for antiquities and museums.

“There are nearly 100,000 historical sites in the Kingdom and we have 
already identified and registered 3,700 main sites. Some of these have 
80 to 100 related sites in different localities,” Asharq Al-Awsat 
newspaper quoted Ruwaished as saying.

The deputy minister disclosed that the Kingdom retrieved 1,600 rare 
Islamic coins that were in the process of being smuggled out from the 
Shuaiba port recently. He commended the customs department for its role 
in preventing the smuggling of many valuable artifacts from the country.

Ruwaished said the Agency for Antiquities and Museums, which is under 
the Ministry of Education, would be merged with the Supreme Commission 
for Tourism (SCT) in two months. The SCT wants to make use of the 
Kingdom’s museums and historical sites to promote tourism.

Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the SCT, has highlighted 
Saudi Arabia’s tourism prospects in the heritage sector.

“We have a large tourism market, especially in the areas of heritage and 
culture. Saudi Arabia is a first-class heritage state as there are 
thousands of antiquities and we have unearthed only a limited number of 
them. The Kingdom’s geographical position has made it a crossroads of 
civilizations,” Sultan said.

Ruwaished said his ministry has licensed 19 museums across the country, 
adding that 11 of them had received approval from the Higher Council for 
Antiquities.

Two new museums have been opened in Baha and Hail as part of a national 
plan to set up a museum in each of the Kingdom’s 13 regions. In addition 
to the National Museum in Riyadh, several historical buildings have been 
renovated and converted into museums in Jeddah, Taif, Hofuf and other areas.

The Kingdom’s historical sites and museums will attract a large number 
of foreign tourists. The SCT chief has said that Saudi Arabia wants to 
attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020, excluding the millions who 
come on Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. He spoke of the ambitious goal of 
making tourism to account for 18 percent of the country’s gross domestic 
product by 2020.

Ruwaished said the Kingdom had returned some stolen artifacts to their 
original foreign sources. “The coordination with the Interior Ministry, 
the customs and other related agencies were instrumental in preventing 
smuggling of valuable artifacts and antiquities in and out of the 
country,” he pointed out.

Saudi Arabia is a signatory of an international agreement on protecting 
cultural properties,” Ruwaished said. “We will not allow circulation of 
any antiques without permission from the country of its origin,” he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/