DAMMAM: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and King Saud University has started restoration work on Al-Faw Village, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Kingdom.

Qaryat Al-Faw, located in the foothills of the Tuwayq Mountains near the present day village of Wadi ad-Dawasir, 700 kilometers southwest of Riyadh, was an important commercial station linking the Arabian Gulf to the Levant. It became a religious, political and cultural center in the Arabian Peninsula and the capital of the Kindah Kingdom.

According to the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, Qaryat al-Faw was known by many names through the ages including the “Red City” and the “City of Gardens”. It is one of 13 pre-Islamic cities recently discovered in Saudi Arabia.

Interest in the village as an archaeological site dates back to the 1940s when some Saudi Aramco workers filed reports about it. It was later explored by John Falbi and several other foreign archaeologists. Serious excavations began in 1972.

There have been several finds on the site including linen, sheep wool, silver coins, bracelets made of metal, glass and ivory, silver and copper rings, beads, and small bottles for perfume and cosmetics.

The inhabitants of Al-Faw village had dug over 120 wells for agricultural purposes, with channels running into areas for growing palm trees, vines, chewing gum and cereals. They also kept various livestock, including camels, cows, goats, sheep and deer.

The residents used trunks of palm and other trees for the roofs of their houses, with local and imported wood for doors and windows. They used horses, spears, arrows and swords for warfare as depicted in frescoes and some copper statues.