‘Luminous Discoveries’ Exhibition: A Knowledge Journey for AlUla Visitors

The exhibition 'Luminous Discoveries: Historical Phases in Dadan' continues to welcome visitors to AlUla Governorate as part of the Dadan and Jabal Ikmah tour during the summer season, offering a cultural and knowledge experience that showcases the history of Dadan, the historical capital of the Dadan and Lihyan kingdoms, through archaeological discoveries that help read the history of one of the most prominent civilizations that flourished in northwestern Arabia.

The exhibition, held at the archaeological site of Dadan, takes visitors on a knowledge journey showcasing layers of the city's history and transformations through the ages, displaying more than 100 artifacts discovered during excavations at the Dadan and Umm Daraj sites over the past five years, documenting aspects of daily life, crafts, beliefs, and trade networks that flourished in the region.

The exhibits highlight the historical status of Dadan as a link between ancient world civilizations, as the archaeological discoveries reveal the extent of trade and cultural relations with various regions, through pieces of Greek style, a bone hairpin dating to the Roman or Byzantine period, along with Minaic inscriptions from ancient South Arabian, evidence confirming the city's connection to a wide trade network via the incense routes.

The exhibition also displays archaeological evidence documenting the beginnings of agricultural activities in Dadan from around the third millennium BC, the emergence of handicrafts since the second millennium BC, and the development of craft industries, including metalworking and spinning and weaving techniques, reflecting the city's civilizational and economic progress through the ages.

The exhibition includes artifacts displayed for the first time, most notably stone statues discovered by archaeologists during excavations, embodying the skill of Lihyan kingdom artists in sculpture, in addition to a pottery head of Greek style, reflecting the cultural and artistic interaction between Dadan and Mediterranean civilizations.

The exhibits also allow visitors to see inscriptions carved on sandstone, including Minaic inscriptions from ancient South Arabian, along with part of an inscription believed to have been part of a religious or public building, as well as written evidence documenting commercial activity in the city, related to the inscriptions spread across Jabal Ikmah, one of the most prominent rock inscription sites in the Kingdom, inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

The exhibition also presents the results of survey and excavation works that revealed hundreds of inscriptions and rock drawings in the vicinity of Dadan, including scenes of horsemen carrying spears and drawings depicting hunting trips, enriching knowledge of the region's history and social and cultural life in successive historical periods.

The exhibition content is distributed across five main themes: crafts and daily life, exchange and trade, ancient beliefs and rituals, stone inscriptions, and the Umm Daraj area, providing the visitor with a comprehensive vision of Dadan's journey and its role as one of the most important ancient Arab cities.

The exhibition is the result of collaboration between Saudi archaeologists and international institutions, as part of the Dadan Archaeological Project, in partnership between the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the French Agency for AlUla Development, as part of joint efforts to document archaeological discoveries and make them available to visitors and researchers, enhancing knowledge of AlUla's history and heritage.

The 'Luminous Discoveries: Historical Phases in Dadan' exhibition is one of the cultural experiences that enrich AlUla visitors' programs during the summer season, as it is available within the Dadan and Jabal Ikmah tour experience, giving visitors an exceptional opportunity to learn about original archaeological discoveries that reveal chapters of the history of one of the oldest civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula, and highlight AlUla's status as a destination combining cultural discovery and tourism experience.