DUMAT AL-JANDAL, SAUDI ARABIA—New research in northwest Saudi Arabia has identified the existence of a network of previously unknown fortified enclosures, La Brújula Verde reports. Known as Walled Oasis Complexes, these settlements consisted of large defensive walls encircling desert oases that helped shelter and protect crops, water sources, and herds of goats and sheep. Relying on satellite imagery and ground reconnaissance, the study located four previously unknown complexes at Dumat al-Jandal, Hait, Huwayyit, and Khaybar dating back thousands of years. The discovery changes the perception of Arabia as a desert dominated by Bedouins and demonstrates that there were complex sedentary societies as many as 5,000 years ago. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about large stone complexes scattered throughout northwest Saudi Arabia's deserts, go to "Around the World: Saudi Arabia."
