MOSCOW — The Saudi Heritage Commission announced on Tuesday the approval of registering and documenting 59 new archaeological sites in the National Register of Antiquities. This brings the total number of sites registered in the National Register of Antiquities to 8,847 in various regions across the Kingdom. These sites represent a national heritage that reflects the historical richness of Saudi Arabia.

The commission stated that the northern Tabuk region topped the list of the largest share of these sites with 22 locations, and it was followed by Al-Jouf region with 14 sites, Jazan (6), Hail (5), Asir and Madinah regions (4 each), Makkah (3) and one site in the Qassim region.

The registration of archeological sites comes under the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law issued by a royal decree dated 9/1/1436, and that is in accordance with a decision made by the commission’s board of directors, which included authorizing the CEO of the commission to approve new registrations of archaeological and heritage sites in the National Antiquities Register. This comes within the framework of the commission’s effort in discovering historical and archeological sites in Saudi Arabia, and registering them officially in the National Register of Antiquities.

The step of registering the sites in the National Register is being followed by their placing in a digital map in order to facilitate their protection, preservation and management. By building a database of registered archaeological sites, the commission aims to document the works being carried out on them, as well as archiving the documents and pictures of heritage sites in the Kingdom.

The Heritage Commission called on citizens and those interested to report discovered archaeological sites so that the commission can access and register them through the Balagh platform (https://contactcenter.moc.gov.sa), and it's official account on the social media platform X, and its branches spread across a number of regions of the Kingdom. It praised the citizen’s awareness and role as an essential partner in preserving and developing his country’s heritage.

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