Charloux G., Al-Malikî T., Morel Q., Al-Qahtânî D., Robin C., Siméon P. 2014. Dûmat al-Jandal (Jawf) “Archaeological Monuments in the Oasis. The 2010 Survey”. (original) (raw)
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The present paper intends to give a preliminary overview of the activities carried out by the joint Saudi-Italian-French archaeological project at Dūmat al-Jandal (ancient Adummatu), between September 20th and November 20th 2012. The fourth campaign focused on the continuation of the activities set up during the 2009-2011 campaigns, and on new systematic analyses of the archeological site and its surroundings. Research topics ranged from the identification of palaeo-environments in the ancient al-Jawf landscape to a better understanding of the site’s chronology, by means of extensive excavations, without omitting the use of many archaeometric methods and the setting up of fieldwork training activities, and also and above all, of the conservation of local ancient and Islamic monuments which are in danger of disappearance. The activities were realized with contributions by CNRS, UMR 8167, Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Musée du Louvre, French Federation of Speleology (FFS), UNO, Cyprus Institute, Aix-Marseille University, University of Geneva, Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Paris IV, the Labex Resmed (University of Paris IV), FFS. Financial and technical support for the 2012 archaeological season was provided by the Ministero Italiano degli Affari Esteri (MAE), the Università degli Studi di Napoli“ L’Orientale” (UNO), the Centro Interdipartimentale di Servizi di Archeologia (CISA) of UNO, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, , the French Embassy in Riyâdh, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS France). Further analyses will be conducted with the collaboration of the German Archaeological Mission at Rajâjîl of the Institut für Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Freie Universität in Berlin.
First mentioned in Assyrian annals, then in Nabataean and Roman inscriptions, Dūmat al-Jandal (ancient Adumatu) is, along with Taymā' and Hegra (Madā'in Sālih), one of the main pre-Islamic sites of north-west Saudi Arabia. A preliminary survey by the newly established Saudi-Italian-French Project in 2010 revealed numerous archaeological features and offered a first understanding of the layout and environmental characteristics of this wide oasis. This paper offers the opportunity to review and briefly describe its main monuments, most of them little known, as a basis for future field research.
A first archaeological campaign has been carried out at Dûmat al-Jandal between April 23 and May 7 2009. The field work, which follows a preliminary visit of the site we could accomplish on June 2008, has been realized after the approval of an “Italian proposal of research at Dûmat al-Jandal” by the “Saudi General Organization for Tourism and Antiquities” (GOTA). The project is co-sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE/DGPC), Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” (UNO) and the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente of Rome (IsIAO). The Italian Archaeological Mission carries on its researches under the patronage of the IsIAO. A formal Joint Cooperative Agreement for a five years period of activities was signed at Riyadh on May 5 at the presence of HH Prince Sultan ibn Salman ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz and the Italian Ambassador Eugenio D’Auria. The program of the first campaign was aimed to: 1) obtaining a first comprehensive map of the Archaeological Park around the Mârid castle; 2) starting some systematic excavations in the same Archaeological Park.