Tourism & Hospitality | Sunday 14 June, 2015 3:25 am |

A team of archaeologists from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) recently conducted an exploratory mission to the summit of the Umm Darj mountain in Al-Ula.
The explorers, headed by Hussein Abu Hassan, STCA vice president for antiquities and museums, said that the site is one of the important archaeological sites on the slopes where inscriptions dating back to the beginning of the fifth century BC of Allihiyaniah civilization are found.
According to him, the site houses various statues, altars and inscriptions, and is also marked with ancient and Islamic inscriptions.
He said the mission needed a geological survey using aircraft to get to the site due to the great degree of difficulty in accessing and climbing to the summit of the mountain.
Abu Hassan said that SCTA, under the leadership of Prince Sultan bin Salman, is committed to exploring these important historical sites where they can collect valuable artifacts that are hidden.
The mountain is located in the northwest of the city of Al-Ula at the entrance of the Saq Valley opposite Al-Khraibah mountain. It was named Darj because of the presence of a sculpted staircase at the foot of the mountain.
Al-Ula Mayor Saad Al-Suhaimi was also briefed on the team’s mission.