Lavish Gold Hoard Unearthed in Saudi Arabia’s Historic Desert City
By Vittoria Benzine
Archaeologists digging at Dariyah, in the Saudi Arabian region of Al Qassim, have unearthed a glittering hoard of 1,100-year-old gold jewelry. While the trove’s beauty and attention to detail are clear, the specific origins of this superb treasure remain a mystery.
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Excavations at the historic, pre-Islamic town of Dariyah started in 2021, according to Arab News, in a bid “to protect and preserve cultural sites in the Kingdom from potential threats.” The newfound Dariyah treasure hailed from this mission’s fourth season, which was dedicated to “documenting the site’s historical development, architectural features and material finds,” a press release from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture’s Saudi Heritage Commission explained.
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Previous excavations at the UNESCO heritage site have exposed archaeological mounds, stone building foundations, pottery and glass fragments, soapstone artifacts, and Islamic inscriptions. This season’s far shinier spoils, however, included about 100 pieces of golden jewelry. Altogether, they appear to form one cohesive set. Many of these pieces—which advanced artisans expertly hand-formed and hammered from gold sheets—exhibit luscious floral forms, their petals and pistils adorned with colorful stones. Several strands of brilliantly beaded bracelets also appeared—as did gold spacers capable of configuring these baubles into varied arrangements.
The full hoard excavated at Dariyah archaeological site. Photo courtesy of the Saudi Heritage Commission.
This most recent excavation also yielded further stone building foundations, as well as mud walls, fire hearths, plastered rooms, pottery vessels, and metal tools—all dating back to the late ninth century C.E., squarely within the reign of the Abbasid Empire (the third Islamic Caliphate, which ruled over Persia and North Africa from 750–1258). Renowned for ushering in the Islamic Golden Age, the Abbasid period also produced scores of relics that have tantalized archaeologists this past decade alone, including a cache of gold coins and a jug that a cat left its paw print on.
At present, it’s impossible to know exactly who buried this rediscovered Dariyah treasure. The hoard’s resplendent nature—coupled with all the other artifacts found here—testifies to Dariyah’s importance as a place for cultural exchange and economic trade. Maybe a traveling merchant or a wealthy local family buried this extensive jewelry set. Or, perhaps a pilgrim secreted it. After all, Dariyah sat along the Basran Hajj route leading from Iraq to Mecca—one of eight or so historic paths that Muslims took while fulfilling their obligation to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
Archaeologists plan to continue digging at Dariyah. Their efforts stand to surface further answers.
This article was originally published by Artnet News.