Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension
Classical (300 BCE-300 CE)·Kindah·🇸🇦 Riyadh, Wadi al-Dawasir, Saudi Arabia
About
About Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension
Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension in Riyadh, Wadi al-Dawasir, Saudi Arabia is a Classical (300 BCE-300 CE) ancient city attributed to Kindah. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal chamber 5 × 5 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 19.3470N 45.1390E controls access to Riyadh, Wadi al-Dawasir resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient-city for Riyadh, Wadi al-Dawasir, illustrating Kindah construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Nature of burial rites and population
- 02Landscape function
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 100 CE
- Period
- Classical (300 BCE-300 CE)
- Culture
- Kindah
- Purpose
- Fortified settlement and ceremonial centre controlling regional exchange
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 100 CE
Initial construction of Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension main structure
c. 1026 CE
Secondary occupation / refurbishment at Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension
1990–2015
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
19.3470° N · 45.1390° E · 618 m · 4 mapped features
Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — Main Ancient-City Feature
hydraulicPrimary hydraulic at Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
19.3464° N · 45.1396° EQaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — Secondary Enclosure
necropolisAncillary necropolis at Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
19.3467° N · 45.1379° EQaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — Outlier Rock Art Panel
templeOutlier temple panel linked to Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension ceremonial landscape
19.3485° N · 45.1400° EQaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
chamberHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Qaryat al-Faw Market Street East Annex — Southern Extension with plastered basin
19.3477° N · 45.1388° E