The Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn () are a group of beehive tombs or necropolis from the Hafit period in the 3rd Millennium BC, located near a palm grove in

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

. They were declared World Heritage by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 1988, becoming only the second such Omani site after the Bahla Fort was designated world heritage in 1987.

History or prehistory

Studies during the last 15 years have shown the existence of numerous human settlements ranging from the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

to the Gulf of Oman.

Bat

The site of Bat is located inside a palm grove. Around 3000 B.C., there was an intense trade of copper (extracted locally) and stone (probably diorite) with

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. ...

ians. The necropolis consists of 100 graves and circular buildings each with a diameter of about . These buildings have no outside openings, so besides the possibility of their ritualistic function, they may have been used as tanks or silos. Their precise function is as of yet unknown. In 1972, the excavations carried out by a Danish team led by Karen Frifelt showed that the area has been continuously inhabited for 4000 years.

Al-Khutm

The ruins at Al-Khutm are thought to have derived from a stone fort, with a tower made of rock with a diameter of . They are located west of Bat.

Al-Ayn

Al-Ayn is a small necropolis, although it is in the best condition of the three necropolises. It is located southeast of Bat.

Conservation

The sites have not been subjected to restoration or other types of conservation before the protection provided by UNESCO, so their isolation has been their only protection. One of the greatest dangers concerning the sites preservation comes from locals who take building material from the archaeological sites.

Development

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

between Oman and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, which goes through the villages, was completed in September 2021. Measuring between in total, it extends from the town of Ibri in Oman to Al-Ahsa in eastern Saudi Arabia. The Omani side of the road measures approximately , and the Saudi side .

References

External links

New Oman-Saudi desert road will breathe new life into sleepy villages
{{World Heritage Sites in Oman World Heritage Sites in Oman Archaeological sites in Oman