RIYADH — The Heritage Commission has announced the approval of documenting and registering 67 new archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia in the National Register of Antiquities. The new 67 archaeological sites include several archaeological and historical sites, bringing the total sites that are registered in the National Register of Antiquities to 8,531 archaeological sites in different regions of Saudi Arabia. The Northern Border region had the largest number of archaeological sites with 15 sites, then Tabuk region with 13 site, followed by Hail with 10 site, Al-Jouf with 9 site, Al-Qassim with 5 site, Riyadh and Aseer with 4 sites, Madinah and Al-Baha with 3 sites, and finally Makkah with 1 archaeological site. The Heritage Commission registering of these sites comes in accordance with the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/3 dated 9/1/1436. The Commission is working in discovering archaeological and historical sites in Saudi Arabia, and register it officially in the National Register of Antiquities. After the registering process, the Commission adds the sites in digital maps which enables them to easily manage, protect and preserve them. Additionally, it builds a spatial database of the registered archaeological sites, as well as preserving and documenting the works that take place in the sites, and also archiving documents and pictures of heritage sites in the Kingdom. The commission has called on citizens to report if they discover any archaeological site via Balagh platform. It has also praised the citizens' efforts and emphasized their roles in reporting the archaeological sites by cooperating with its offices and branches in various regions, which help them easily reach the sites and register them.
