Ancient Town: Al-Natah

About Al-Natah: 

• French archaeologist Guillaume Charloux and his crew led the discovery.
• Excavation at the Khaybar oasis has found that a sophisticated Bronze Age town existed between 2400 and 1500 BCE.
• Features: The town reveals-

• The presence of an organised settlement in an era previously believed to be dominated by nomadic pastoral societies. 
• It is enclosed by a 14.5-kilometre wall and occupies a 2.6-hectare area.
• It housed up to 500 residents who lived in multi-story dwellings. 
• The town was likely a centre for agricultural production and trade, sustaining a cooperative society in the otherwise arid environment.
• Residents of Al-Natah lived in rectangular dwellings, constructed from materials such as stone and mudbrick, with narrow paths connecting the various structures. 
• The town’s layout included burial sites, with some graves and tiered towers marking higher social status.

• A similar town in southern Saudi Arabia, Al Faw, was given UNESCO World Heritage Site status this year.