Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan

�Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan

ROCK ART IN THE HAIL REGION OF SAUDI ARABIA

MANAGEMENT PLAN

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�

Table of Contents

TableofContents...................................................................................................................................................... 2ListofFigures........................................................................................................................................................... 3ExecutiveSummary.................................................................................................................................................. 4

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6Introduction............................................................................................................................................................... 6AimsoftheManagementPlan................................................................................................................................. 6Remit(siteboundaries)............................................................................................................................................ 6Methodology............................................................................................................................................................. 6Theteam.................................................................................................................................................................. 6

1 Description and History of the Sites ........................................................................................... 61.1 Geographiclocation,descriptionandsiteboundaries.......................................................................... 61.2 Geologyandclimate............................................................................................................................. 81.3 ArchaeologyandHistory....................................................................................................................... 81.4 Landscape.......................................................................................................................................... 13

2 The Sites Today .......................................................................................................................... 152.1 Ownershipandmanagement.............................................................................................................. 152.2 ExcavationsandArchaeologicalinvestigation.................................................................................... 162.3 Conservation....................................................................................................................................... 172.4 Socialandeconomiccontext.............................................................................................................. 172.5 Visitorfacilities.................................................................................................................................... 182.6 TourisminHailProvince..................................................................................................................... 20

3 Key Stakeholders and Interest Groups .................................................................................... 203.1 Stakeholders....................................................................................................................................... 203.2 Processofconsultation....................................................................................................................... 21

4 Significance ................................................................................................................................ 214.1 Statement of Significance................................................................................................................... 214.2 Valuesassociatedwiththesites......................................................................................................... 22

5 Management Assessment .......................................................................................................... 225.1 Sensitivitiesandthreats...................................................................................................................... 235.2 Opportunities...................................................................................................................................... 23

6 Vision and Objectives ................................................................................................................ 246.1 Aim...................................................................................................................................................... 246.2 Rationaleandapproach...................................................................................................................... 246.3 Managementobjectives/goals........................................................................................................... 256.4 Managementteam/structure.............................................................................................................. 26


7 Management Strategy and Policies .......................................................................................... 267.1 Landscape,contextandsettingpolicies............................................................................................. 267.2 Land-useplanningpolicies................................................................................................................. 277.3 Archaeology,researchandconservationpolicies............................................................................... 287.4 Visitormanagementpolicies............................................................................................................... 297.5 Presentationandinterpretationpolicies.............................................................................................. 307.6 Educationpolicies............................................................................................................................... 317.7 Tourismpolicies.................................................................................................................................. 327.8 Implementationandreviewpolicies.................................................................................................... 33

8 Action Plan .................................................................................................................................. 338.1 Implementingmanagementpolicies.................................................................................................. 338.2 Actionplan......................................................................................................................................... 34SourcesconsultedfortheManagementPlan......................................................................................................... 44

Appendix 1: Reference Bibliography ................................................................................................... 45

List of Figures

1.1 JubbahJabalUmmSinmancorearea(yellow)andbufferzone(greenline)1.2 ShuwaymisJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatcorearea(green)andbufferzone(yellow)1.3 RockartatJubbah1.4 RockartatShuwaymis,reversedbyrockfall1.5 LandscapesettingandcharacterofJabalUmmSinman1.6 LandscapesettingandcharacterofJabalal-ManjorandJabalAlRaat2.1 MunicipalparkatthesiteentranceinJubbah2.2 BedouinencampmentinWadiAl-Mukhayet,Shiwaymis2.3 Jubbah,JabalUmmSinman,siteboundarytonortheast2.4 ThepresentdaysettlementoftheJubbahoasisislocatedintheindentofthePaleolithiclake2.5 DecayingmudbrickbuildinginJubbahincloseproximitytotheprivatelyownedAlNaifMuseum2.6 VisitorcentreatJubbah2.7 DisplayofrockartsitesinHailMuseum2.8 InterpretationpanelsatJubbah

5.1 Muchoftherockartislocatedonuneventerrainandataheight5.2 Birddroppings,likevegetationareminimalatthesites5.3 ThegrowthofJubbahtownwillneedtobemanagedsoasnottoimpactonareasofpotentialarchae-

ological significance that lie beyond the buffer zone

6.1 OverviewofapproachtovisitormanagementandinterpretationofrockartsitesinHailProvince

UnlessotherwisestatedallphotographsarebyAylinOrbasli.


Executive Summary

This management plan forThe RockArt in the HailRegionofSaudiArabiahasbeenpreparedaspartofthenominationoftherockartsitesforinscriptionontheWorldHeritageList.ThetworockartsitesofJabalUmmSinmaninthetownofJubbahandJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatnear Shuwaymis are located in the Hail Province of theKingdomofSaudiArabia.

TheJubbahoasisinthesouthernpartofGreatNafudDesert,wasthecentreofanadvancedcultureduringtheverybeginningsofArabcivilization.OverlookingthefreshwaterlakethatthenexistedwasthehillrangeofUmmSinman,providingshelterandwatertobothpeopleandanimals.Hereonthesehills,theancestorsofpresentArabsleftthemarksoftheirpresence,theirreligions,social,cultural,intellectualandphilosophicalperspectivesoftheirbeliefsaboutlifeanddeath,metaphysicalandcosmologicalideologies.

The former freshwater lake of Jubbah was one ofseveralsuchwaterbodiesowingtheirexistencetoaseriesof sandstone inselbergs.The largest of thesemountainsisJabalUmmSinman,risingtoaheightofalmost450mabovethesurroundingdesert.ThepresenttownofJubbahhasbeenestablishedonthesedimentsofthepaleolakeonits lee side. During the region’s desertification, beginning in mid-Holocenetimes,theoasisofJubbahprovidedtheonlysubstantial source of water within the desert, facilitatingits continuing human occupation up to the present andthe gradual adaptation of the population to the significant environmental changes. These changes are distinctlyexpressed in the numerous petroglyph panels and rockinscriptions, the greatest concentrations of which occurin the lower rock exposures of the eastern flanks of Jabal UmmSinman.

Jabalsal-ManjorandRaatarerockescarpmentsofanowsand-coveredwadithatisthoughttohavebeenabroadvalley with flowing water during the early Holocene. Both Jabalal-ManjorandRaatcontainalargenumberofhumanand animal figures, and other hills and outcrops within the bufferzonefeaturesmallerconcentrations.Thesesandstoneexposuresoccurinaregionthathasseennumerousvolcaniceruptions and lava flows in recent geological history.

The large number of petroglyphs and inscriptions atthesesitecomplexeshasbeenattributedtoalmost10,000yearsofhumanhistory.Althoughthebulkofthisvastcorpusofpetroglyphsisofasingleculturalperiodofhumanhistory,preceding and subsequent rock art traditions have beenidentified and dated. As the aquifer subsided, probably aroundmid-Holocenetimes,theformerlypermanenthumanpopulationbecameincreasinglytransient,butthesiteswerestillvisitedinrecentmillenniaasindicatedbytherockart.Theintensiveandcomprehensivesurveyof theJabalal-

ManjorandRaatcomplexessincetheirrecentre-discoveryhasresultedinthelocationofhundredsofrockartpanels,several stone structures and typical stone objects of theNeolithicera.

Therockartoneachofthethreemountainsor jabalshasdistinctive features, but together they incorporateallthemainstylisticelements thatmake thecombined rockartofthewiderHailRegionofoutstandinguniversalvalue.The properties are among the biggest and richest rockartcomplexesnotonlyinSaudiArabia,butintheArabianPeninsulaandtheMiddleEastgenerally.Theystandamongthemostfascinatingandlargestrockartsitesoftheworld,andcouldbecomparedwiththeworld-famousrockartsitesofAustralia,France,India,Namibia,SouthAfricaandtheSaharanDesert.

Theaimofthismanagementplanistoprovideanop-erationalframeworkfortheprotectionoftherockartsitesofHailProvince,mostnotablythesitesofJabalUmmSin-man(Jubbah)andJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat(Shu-waymis).

Theobjectivesofthemanagementstrategyareto:1. Protecttherockartsitesandtheiroutstandinguniver-

salvalueinaccordancewithinternationalgoodpracticeandguidance,andasanexemplarofgoodpractice.

2. Engenderwiderappreciationandunderstandingofthesitesintheircommunitiesandbeyond.

3. Enhance theexperienceofvisitorsengagingwith thesitesandtherockartoftheHailRegion.

4. Realisethepotentialofthesitestoservethetourism,economicandsocialdevelopmentofHailRegionandthecommunitiesassociatedwiththesites.Both the sites are well protected by their geographic

location,prevalentclimaticconditions,legallythroughRoyalDecreeNo.M/26dated23/06/1392H,protectivefencingandsiteguardsappointedbytheSaudiCommissionforTourismandAntiquities(SCTA).

The following management policies are proposed forimplementation by the SCTA, their office in Hail and other regional partners towards fulfilling the management objec-tives identified:

Landscape, context and setting policiesL1:Thesite zones recommendedas core zones for theWorldHeritagenominationwillbefullyprotected.L2:Areasof archaeological and potential archaeologicalsignificance should be established and included in the bufferzones.L3: Key views of the rock art sites and significant views from thesiteswillbeprotected.L4:Thecollectivevalueofrockartsitesandtheirlandscapesettings inHailProvincewill be recognisedasa culturallandscape.

Land use and planning policiesP1:Buildingandinfrastructuredevelopmentstakingplacewithin the identified view shadows will not unduly impact on


thesettingandlandscapevaluesofthesites.P2:Wherethebufferzoneextendsintoanexistingsettle-mentasatJubbah,alldevelopmentwithinthiszoneandincloseproximitytoitsboundarywillconformtostrictdesignguidelines.P3: Where the buffer zone is open land, any proposedstructureswithinthiszonewillconformtostrictguidelinesintermsofdesign,materialsandimpact.P4:Any development work within a buffer zone will beprecededbyarchaeologicalinvestigations.P5:Allmajorstructures,pavedsurfacesandserviceswillberestrictedto theperipheryof thesitesandconformtoestablisheddesignguidelines.P6:Onlystructuresofatemporarynature,whicharefullyreversible and are in the interest of protecting the sites’outstandinguniversalvaluewillbepermittedwithinthesiteboundaries.P7: Vehicular traffic will not be permitted within the site boundaries.

Archaeology, research and conservation policiesA1:Aprovince-wide‘rockart’databasehasbeenestablishedto share all scientific information pertaining to rock art sites intheprovince.A2:ArchaeologicalexcavationsatthesitesinpartnershipwithSaudiUniversitiesandinternationalinstitutionswillbecontinued.A3:Secureandsuitablestoragefacilitiesforarchaeologi-cal material and finds that result from excavations will be provided.A4:Astate-of-the-artresearchcentreforRockArtStudieswillbeestablishedinpartnershipwithHailUniversity.A5:Therockartwillcontinuetobeprotectedinaccordancewith Royal Decree No. M/26 through existing measures,consideredvisitoraccess,managementandregularmoni-toring.A6:Measures to improveprotectionandsafeguardingofareas of known and potential archaeological significance willbeimplemented.A7:AmonitoringprogramaspertheWHSnomination(6.a)willbeestablishedandimplemented.

Visitor management policiesV1:HailMuseumwillbedevelopedwithmajorexhibitstobecomethe‘gateway’totheWorldHeritageSiteandrockartintheprovince.V2: AvisitorcomplexinJubbahtownwillactasthemainhubforvisitors.V3:Visits to Jabal Umm Sinman will be by appointment(timedtickets)andbyguidedtoursinsmallgroupsonly.V4:Alocallymanagedsmallrestpoint/visitorreceptionclosetoJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat,attheendofthemetalledroadandimmediatelyoutsidethebufferzone,willprovideservicestoresearchersworkingatthesiteandvisitors.V5:VisitstoJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatwillbebyap-

pointment/permitunder thecontrolof theSCTAandonlyandinsmallguidedgroups.V6:Theopeningupofsmallerandaccessiblerockartsitestovisitorswillbeconsideredwheresensitiveandsustainableinterventionsarepossible.

Presentation and interpretation policiesI1:Aprovince-widerockartinterpretationplanwillformtheframeworkforon-siteinterpretationandacoordinatedap-proachtothekeymessages,asWHSnomination(5.i).I2:State-of-the-artandengagingdisplaysthatwillappealtoabroadnon-specialistaudiencewillpositionHailMuseumasa‘gatewaytotheWHS’.I3:ThevisitorcomplexlocatedinJubbahtownwillconveythelinksbetweentherockartandlifeintheoasis.I4:Visitorreceptionpointswillprovideinformationoneachsiteandgiveanintroductiontothevisit.I5:Localsiteguardianswillbethemainpointofinformationandguidesatthesites.I6: Interpretation material and signage within the siteboundarieswillbekepttoaminimum.

Education policiesE1:ThroughtheproposedCentreforRockArtResearchandother initiatives theeducationalpotentialof thesiteswillbeactivelypromoted.E2:Astrongeducationalcomponentwillbedevelopedaspartof the interpretationof thesitesand rockart inHailProvince.E3: Asystemof localrangers(guides/guards)developedinpartnershipwiththelocalBedouincommunitieslivingincloseproximitytothesites,willformthecoreofsiteprotec-tionandvisitorservicesofferedatthesite.

Tourism policiesT1:HailMuseumwillbe thecentre for the launchof theRockDrawingsofHailProvinceWorldHeritageSite.T2:Longertermtourismstrategiesfortheprovincewillpo-sition the WHS as a significant asset for Hail Province.T3:Tourismdevelopmentprojectsinproximitytotherockart sites will be sensitive to the significance of the sites and theirnaturalsetting.

Theresponsibilityforimplementationofthismanagementplan lies with the specially created SCTA directorate re-sponsibleforWorldHeritageSites,inpartnershipwiththeSCTAHailbranch.Whereappropriate,theimplementationof the recommended management strategies will be un-dertaken incollaborationwith local,nationaland interna-tional partnersand institutions.Themanagementplan isdesigned for the first five years of the site being recognised asaWorldHeritageSite.Itisrecommendedthatvisitationandinterestinthesesitesiscloselymonitoredduringthisperiodandthemanagementplanisregularlyreviewedandadjustedaccordingly.


Introduction Introduction

This management plan forThe RockArt in the HailRegionofSaudiArabiahasbeenpreparedaspartoftheserialnominationoftherockartsitesforinscriptionontheWorldHeritageList.ThetworockartsitesofJabalUmmSinmaninthetownofJubbahandJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatnearShuwaymisarelocatedintheHailProvinceoftheKingdomofSaudiArabia.

ThesiteofJubbahissituated90kmtothenorthwestoftheprovincialcapitalHail,Shuwaymisissome250kmtothesouthwestclosetotheborderwithMedinahProvince.BothsitesareundertheprotectionoftheSaudiCommissionforTourismandAntiquities(SCTA)andthecorearchaeologicalareasareprotectedbyextensive fencessurrounding thesites.Thesitesandthedesignatedbufferszonesareintheownershipof theSaudiState.Todate thesiteshavenotbeenopenedtoregularvisitation.

This management plan is conceived as a first step to-wards recognising the broader archaeological significance andimpactofthesites,seekingoperationalmeansfortheirprotectionandconservationandcommunicatingthevalueand significance of the sites to a broad audience, including managedopeningofthesitestovisitors.

The effective protection and management of rock artsitesarecomplexinmostpartsoftheworld.Theyareoftenspreadoutoverawidegeographicalarea,andmaysharemorecharacteristicswithanareaofnaturalbeautythanatypicalculturalheritagesite.Thefragilityandvulnerabilityoftherockarttoanumberofthreatsrequiresvisitationtobecarefullymanaged.Furthermore,likemanyprehistoricsites,interpretationplaysanimportantroleinexplainingthesignificance of the sites, telling their story and ‘bringing them to life’.ThesitesofJabalUmmSinman,Jabalal-Manjor,JabalRaatandotherrockartsitesinHailProvincesharemany,butnotallofthesecharacteristics.

Aims of the Management PlanThe aim of this management plan is to provide an

operational framework for the protection of the rock artsites of the Hail Region, most notably the sites of JabalUmm Sinman (Jubbah) and Jabal al-Manjor and JabalRaat(Shuwaymis).

Theobjectivesofthemanagementstrategyareto:1. Protecttherockartsitesandtheiroutstandinguniversal

value in accordance with international good practiceandguidance,andasanexemplarofgoodpractice.


3. Enhance theexperienceofvisitorsengagingwith thesitesandtherockartoftheHailRegion.

4. Realisethepotentialofthesitestoservethetourism,economicandsocialdevelopmentofHailRegionandthecommunitiesassociatedwiththesites.

Remit (site boundaries)Theprimaryremitofthismanagementplanisthetwo

nominatedsitesofJubbahandShuwaymisandtheirbufferzoneasdeterminedinthenominationdocumentthatthisplanaccompanies(Figures1.1and1.2).

It is, however, well recognised that there is a muchbroader wealth of rock art sites across the Hail Region,andthemanagementproposalsinpartcovertheseotherssites,asindeedtheprotectionandmanagementofthesitesnominated as World Heritage Sites cannot be viewed inisolationfromothersimilarsitesintheregion.

MethodologyThismanagementplanhasbeenpreparedinaccordance

withtheOperationalGuidelines(2013edition)oftheWorldHeritageConvention,followingvalues-basedmethodologiesdevelopedbytheGettyConservationInstitute.

Thehistoricandarchaeologicalinformationandcontextare provided by the research undertaken for the justification ofthesites’nominationforWorldHeritageSitelistingandtherefore reflect the nomination document.

The teamThemanagementplanhasbeenpreparedbyDrAylin

Orbasli as a collaborative process with the Saudi Com-mission forTourism andAntiquities and a small team ofexpertconsultants includingDrMajeedKhanandRobertBednarik; and in consultation with national, regional andlocalstakeholders.

1 Description and History of the Sites1.1 Geographic location, description and site bounda-ries1.1.1 Jubbah,JabalUmmSinman

JabalUmmSinman,Jubbah,90kmnorthwestofHail,isboundedinthewest,northandsouthbydesertsandsandintheeastbyasecurityfencethatbordersthetownofJubbah.Thebufferzoneisboundedontheeastbythewesternmostnorth-southroadofJubbah,fromitsnorthernendtoeastofJabal‘Unayzah,thenskirtingthishilltoitswestandtrendingsouthwesterlytoincludeJabalsal-Murkabah,al-GharraandAshShuwayhit,thensouthtothewesternmostlimitofUmmSinman,skirtingthemountaintoitssouthernmostextent,from there returning to the westernmost road of Jubbah(Figure1.1).

JubbahliesonanancientcaravanroutetoJordanandSyriaandisoneofthelargestandrichestrockartsitesnotonly inSaudiArabiabut in theArabianPeninsulaand intheMiddleEastasawhole.ItisstillthesoleoasisofanysizeintheNafudandsupportsapermanentsettlementandseasonal influx of Bedouins.

JabalUmmSinman,amountainthatistheproductofmillionsofyearsofgeologicalprocesses,facestheancient


dry lakebed at Jubbah with large numbers of well-madepetroglyphs of human and animal figures, and ancient Thamudic, Arabic and early Kufic inscriptions suggesting continueduseofthesiteforwellover6000years.Inevenearlier times, Middle Palaeolithic people camped therebetween50,000and90,000yearsago,emphasizing thesignificance of lakes as a resource of major importance in this desert environment at the crossroads betweencontinents.

1.1.2 Shuwaymis, Jabal Jabal al-Manjor and JabalRaat

Jabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatarelocatedontheWadial-Mukhayet,about40kmwestofShuwaymis,situatedabout250kmsouthofHail.Bothsitesareboundedbysecurityfences along the foot of the escarpments enclosing therockartsites,andbythemarginsoftheplateauabove,butincludingruinsofancientstonestructures.Thenominatedcorezoneincludesbothsiteswithaparallelogram-shapedarea.ThesurroundingbufferzoneboundaryproceedsfromtheendoftheaccessroadandtheproposedinterpretationcentrewestacrossthewidthofWadial-Mukhayet,andfromtherefollowstheoutlineofthewadi,includingsidevalleys,tracingtheoutlineoftheplateaus,measuringabout8kmnorth-southandover3kmeast-west(Figure1.2).

1.1.3 OtherrockartsitesinHailProvinceRockartoccursatnumerousothersitesinthenorthern

region of Hail, but they are generally of significantly smaller assemblages. Of particular interest is Janin Cave, eastofHail, because it is oneof very fewdeepcaves in thepredominantlysandstoneregion.Thecaveisabout100mdeepandwelldecorated,butmostlysointhepartaccessedbydaylight.AtthenearbymainsiteofJanin,protectedbylongsteelfences,thepatinationofazoomorphresemblinganantelopewassampledforacceleratormassspectrometryradiocarbon analysis. The results remain inconclusive(BednarikandKhan2005:61–62).

The Milihiya site, in the same area, comprises onlysporadic occurrences of petroglyphs on low cliffs andboulders,whereasnearbyYatibisaspectacularsiteonahighcliffandtheboulderscreebelowit.Thissiteisalsowellprotectedbyasteelfenceandacaretakerfromanearbycommunity.Yatibpresentsrockartofexceptionalquality,but is of significantly smaller size than Umm Sinman or the massiveShuwaymissites.

Further south, just outside the townshipAl-Hayit isa small petroglyph site named Qilat al-Hissan, locatedon volcanic tuff containing basalt clasts.To the south ofShuwaymisvillageisJabalal-Bargh.Althoughalsoasmallsite, its purported depiction of date palms is of interestbecauseofthequestionofthattree’sdebutincentralArabia.OneofthesetreeimageshasprovidedexcellentconditionsformicroerosionanalysisandhasyieldedadateofE2370+

810 / - 600 years, which falls into the early part of the final desertification period.

Figure 1.2. Shuwaymis Jabal al-Manjor and Jabal Raat core area (green) and buffer zone (yellow).

Figure 1.1. Jubbah Jabal Umm Sinman core area (yellow) and buffer zone (green line).

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�1.2 Geology and climate1.2.1 Jubbah

JabalUmmSinmanislocatedinsidethesouthernbor-deroftheGreatNafuddesertwhichstretchesoveranareaof68,000squarekilometresofnorthernSaudiArabia.Thesiteislocated820maboveseelevel.Thesiteismadeupofthemount,JabalUmmSinman,severalsmalleroutcropsofrockandadrylakebed,wherethepresenttownofJub-bahislocated.Anyevidenceofancientsettlementsislikelytobecoveredbysanddunes.To theeasternendof thebasin,thesimilarbutsmallerJabalGhawatarangehasim-pededsanddepositioninanareaofabout8kmeast-west,and 3 km north-south. Both ranges are thought to havebasesofSaqsandstoneandsummitsofTabuksandstone(Bramkarpetal.1963).

TheNafuddesert isasand formation reachingup to100mindepthinanarrow-shapedformationpointingeastinthedirectionoftheAd-DhanasandbeltwhichlinksittotheRubAlKhaliorEmptyQuartertothesouth.Thenorth-ernandsouthernpartsofthedesertarecharacterisedbythecomplexlinearduneridgeswhichruneastwardtotheprevailing winds, whilst the western margin and centralNafudarecomposedofcompoundcrescent-shapedduneridgesandpyramidaldunesarefoundinthesouth-easternregion(Holm1960;Breedetal.1979).

Overall, this is a highly varied and complex geologi-calanddesert landscape,shapedbyweatheringcausedbyhigh temperaturesanderosioncausedbywinds.Theboulders,ontowhichmostoftherockdrawingshavebeencarved, are horizontally stratified with an argillaceous and more readily decomposing sandstone strata, which hascaused the upper layers to fall down the rock face.Thevertical joint meanwhile have created pyramidal hill topsandhump-likesummitscausedbyrainandwinderosion.Thesandstoneappears ina rangeofcolours fromgrey-pinktolightbrown.

1.2.2 ShuwaymisJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatarelocatedeitherside

ofavalley(WadiAl-Mukhayet)thatwasanancientsourceof running water. The site features several Pleistocenelakebeds and is characterised by volcanic and igneousmountainsandhills.

ThegeomorphologyofJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatalso explains their present state.The boulders are of arelativelyweathering-resistantfaciesformedashorizontalstrata,supportedbyadistinctivelyargillaceous,morereadilydecomposingsandstonestratum.Asthelaterdeteriorateditcouldnolongersupporttherockmassaboveit,andlargeportions of the decorated upper layer broke off throughgravityandrolledorslidafewmetres,onlytobeengravedagainintheirnewpositionsastheygraduallymadetheirwaydowntheslopes.Thisprocessmayhavebeenexacerbatedbyvolcanicactivity.

1.2.3 ClimateofHailProvinceThe climate of Hail is continental, with temperatures

reaching35-40degreesinthesummerandfallingtoabout

10degrees in thewinter.Therainfall,notexceeding125mm annually but fluctuating from one year to the next, takes placeduringthewinterseason.FiguresforJubbahindicateanaverage100mmofrainfall,ameanJanuarytemperatureof10.1CandmeanAugusttemperatureof31.8C.Tempera-turescandropbelowfreezinginwinterandreachhighsof45inthesummer.

1.3 Archaeology and History1.3.1 Overviewanddevelopmentalphases

Evidencehasbeenfoundoffourmajorphasesofhumansettlement at Jubbah. However, the only evidence forpermanentoccupationisfromthelatestphase.IntheNafudDesert, ‘Mousterian’ lithic assemblages were first reported fromafactory/quarrysitenearthesummitofJebelUmmSinmanandlocalitiesontheJubbahpalaeo-lakemarginsand floor (Clark 1970; Garrard et al. 1981). Two typical MiddlePalaeolithic(probablyintheorderof90–40kaold)sitescontainingLevallois-MousterianstoneartefactswerelocatedduringtheComprehensiveArchaeologicalSurvey.OneofthesesiteswasfoundontheverysummitofJabalUmmSinman(siteNo.201-26a),wherealargenumberofworkedanddiscardedstoneobjectsscatteredoverthesitesuggests that itmighthavebeenaquarryor factorysiteexploitingthesummitoutcropofhardferruginoussandstone.Thesecondsitewasfoundonasandstoneplatformatthebaseofthenorth-easterncornerofthemountain(siteNo.201-25a),andcontainedbothlocalferruginoussandstoneand local quartzite artefacts. Middle Palaeolithic orMousterianimplementswerealsofoundontheweatheredsurfaceofdeposits(201-25b)justtotheeastoftheprevioussite;a14Cdateof25,630±430BPwasobtainedfromasimilarelevation,100mtothewest.ItisevidentfromtheanalysisofawelldepositthatlacustrineconditionsprevailedduringtheMiddlePalaeolithicintheJubbaharea.

Petraglia et al. (2012) report the excavation of threeroughly dated Middle Palaeolithic occupation sites nearJubbah:atthesouthernendofUmmSinman(siteJSM-1,withtwoweakLatePleistoceneOSLdates),atnearbyJabalKatefehtothesouth(siteJKF-1,at~90–85kato~50ka),andatJabalQattartotheeastofthepalaeo-lake(siteJQ-1,theoccupationhavingbeendatedto~75kaBP;Petragliaetal.2011).In2013thePalaeodesertsteamalsolocatedseveralMiddlePalaeolithictoolscattersnearthesouthernpeak of Umm Sinman (Petraglia andAlsharekh 2013).Moreover, its members have recently found the region’sfirst Lower Palaeolithic evidence, in the form of an Acheulian handaxeatsiteAJHAR1andseveralmorebifacesatsiteQAN-1.BothsitesaretothesouthwestofJubbahbutstillwithintheNafud(PetragliaandAlsharekh2013).

AlthoughevidenceofhumanoccupationintheMiddlePalaeolithicperiodisthuscommonlyfoundatJubbah,noneof therockartcouldpossiblybeattributedto thisperiod.Either the petroglyphs of this period could not survive


taphonomicprocessesorrockartwasnotproducedbytheJubbahpeopleatthattime(Khan2008,2011).

DespiteseeminglyfavourableenvironmentalconditionsduringtheUpperPalaeolithicperiodnoevidencewasfoundsofarofsettlement inJubbahduringthis time.However,Neolithicsitesareabundantlylocatedinthearea.TwelvesitesofpossibleNeolithicdatehavebeenfound,eightofthemnearthebaseofthewindwardsideofsanddunesalongthenorthernandsouthernbordersof thebasin (e.g.siteNos.201-25e-jand201-27a-b).Thesewereassociatedwithevidenceofapalaeo-soilandpossiblemarshyconditions.The contents of these sites were described by Parr etal. (1978; cf. Ingraham et al. 1981) and included finely retouched,tangedarrowheads,bifacialpoints,blades,sideandbi-facescrapersanddisccoresawls,tabularscrapers,largechoppersandalittlepottery.Thetoolswerepreparedonavarietyofstoneincludingchert,rhyolite,ferruginoussandstoneandquartz.

Someofthesesitesarelocatednearrocksheltersandclosetosomerockartpanelsonthenearbyrocks.However,innocasecouldanyrockartbelinkedtothem.Thestoneartefactsaresaid tobe typicalofpre-potteryNeolithic inArabia(Parr1977;Ingrahametal.1981).Similarartefactsofpre-potteryNeolithictypehavebeenreportedfromsouthernJordan bordering SaudiArabia and in the Levant andPalestine.ParallelstotheseartefactshavealsobeenfoundincentralandotherpartsofSaudiArabia(ParrandDayton1970;Zarinsetal.1982;Khan2000b,2007,2008).

No archaeological excavations have been carriedout at rock art sites so far, at both the Jubbah and theShuwaymissites.Sincethesitesaregenerallynotrelatableto stratified sediment deposits there are no real prospects of archaeological minimum dating of rock art at thesesites.Indeed,theamountofarchaeologicalresearchsofarconductedatShuwaymisisminimal(PetragliaandAlsharekh2013).Nevertheless,itisclearthatthissitecomplexoffersagreatnumberofopportunitiesforarchaeologicalstudies,especially of its range of stone structures. Four MiddlePalaeolithic occupation sites have been reported about40km to theeastofWadial-Mukhayet, in thevicinityofShuwaymisvillage(PetragliaandAlsharekh2013).

1.3.2 CairnsandtombsThere is a general tendency in Saudi Arabia to find cairns

andtombsontopofhillsorontheirslopes.ThehillrangesofJubbah,JabalUnayza,JabalShouwaithandJabalUmmSinmancontainstonestructureswhichareusuallycairnsandcirculartombs.Manyoftheseburialsarenotverywellpreservedbutthestonestructuresarestillinadequateshapetoconveytheiridentity.

Thetombsareusuallylocatedonthetopofthehillsorontheirlowerlevels.OnJabalUnayzaandJabalShowiathatJubbahthetombsarelocatedonthreelevels;thatisatthe top of the hills, on the first and then on the second level.

Thesetumuliaremostlycircularinshapewithrectangularorcircularpits.Insomecasestail-likestructuresareassociatedwith these features. It may be assumed that the tombslocatedontopofthehillwerefortheheadsofthetribes,thoseonthesecondlevelmighthavebeenforthereligiousleadersandonthethirdlevelotherimportantpeople.Itiscertain,duetothelimitednumberoftombslocatedonthesehills,thatcommonpeoplewerenotburiedonhills,otherwiseamuchgreaternumberoftombsshouldhavebeenfoundonthesehills(Khan2005).

AtShuwaymisthecairnsarelocatedinWadial-Mukhayetand in the elevated areas besides the wadi at Jabal al-Manjor. These are circular or roughly square-shapedstructures.AlthoughitisasyetnotpossibletopositivelylinkthemwithanyoftheShuwaymisrockartthealignmentofseveralextensivestonestructuresalongthemarginoftheplateauoverlookingthedenseconcentrationofpetroglyphclustersatJabalal-Manjor issuggestiveofaconnectionbetweenthesestructuresandoneoftherockartphasesevidentonthecliffsbelowthem.Mostparticularly,thelargecentralruin,abovepetroglyphcluster4,doesnotappeartobeaburialmonument,buthastheappearanceofaritualcentreofsomekind.Itisbasedonasquarestoneplatformerectedhardagainsttheedgeoftheplateau.Onthisbaseacircularwallwithadiameterofabout25msurroundsapavedcourtyardthathasanopeningfacingawayfromtheescarpment’sedge.In itscentreappearstohavebeenasmallstructureandtherearefurtherstonefeaturesthatseemindicative of specific purposes. The structure’s minimum ageisindicatedbythepresenceofoneelongatestoneslaboutsidethecircularwall,whichseemstohavefallenfromthestructureandonwhoseuppersidearethepetroglyphsofthree‘camels’oflimitedpatination.Safelyattributabletothe last twomillennia, thissuggestsagreaterageof thestructure,butasthesestonestructuresarenotknownfromtheNeolithic(whenstelaewouldbemoretypical)theyareperhaps most likely of the BronzeAge.Although this isspeculation it is confirmed by the observation of numerous relativelylatepetroglyphsatotherstonestructuresatWadial-Mukhayet,forinstanceneartheinterpretationcentretobeconstructed.

Three different types of tombs can be identified. Circular tombsfor individualpersonsmadewith localstoneslabswere arranged in a regular circular order, with centralrectangularpitsforthedeceased’sbody.Thesecondtypeisacircularstructureinthemiddleassociatedwithsmallercircles,thushavingadditionalcompartmentsfortheburialperhapsof thedeceased’s familymembers. Inonesuchcase(JabalShowaithatJubbah)atailconsistingofelevensmallcirclesisincluded;inanothercaseonJabalUnayzaa tail consisting of five circular structures is located. We may presume that each circular pile of stone representsa relativeof thedeceased.Thisassumption isbasedonthelocationofdifferentnumbersofcircularstructureswith

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�0differentgraves.

The third type of stone structure consists of circulararrangementswithsmallcircularpitsinthemiddle.Itisnotpossibletoburyhumansinsuchsmallpits,thusthesecouldbe the graves of sacrificed animal remains as have been foundinBirHimma(Najran,southernSaudiArabia),DarbalFeel andDammam,wherecameland ibexbonesarelocatedincircularpitsoflargecircularburials.

Almostall thetombsatJubbahandShuwaymiswerepreviously opened and nothing is preserved in them.Absence of any objects in these tombs has preventedtheirdatingsofar.However,inonecasesomefragmentsofhumanskullswerelocatedandhavebeencollectedfordating.

1.3.3 RockartofJubbahThe study of rock art and associated artefacts and

cultural finds in the Jubbah and Hail area suggest intensive humanactivitiesduringtheNeolithicperiod(c.9000–6000years before present). Frequent cattle figures are suggestive of a relatively cool and wet climate and grassy, perhapssavannah-typevegetation.Theseareessentialconditionsrequired for the survival of cattle, which cannot live indry desert conditions (Khan 1991, 1999, 2007).Theseenvironmental conditions are confirmed by the analysis of theJubbahLakelacustrinedeposits.Carbondatingofthesedepositssuggestsahumidandcoolclimatearound6500–6000yearsbeforepresent(Garrardetal.1981).Theseresults accord with the analysis of the Mundafin Lake in al-Rub’al-Khali (McClure1976),andMasry’s investigations(1974)intheEasternProvince.

Theshiftfromhumidandcooltodrydesertconditionscommencedaround6000yearsbeforepresent(Garrardet

al.1981;Khan2007),andinduecoursehumanactivitiesat Jubbah were progressively curtailed. Jubbah Lakecommencedtodryoutandhugemassesofsandbeguntoaccumulate,thusconvertingthegreengrassyregionoftheNafudintoadesertastheaquifer level fell.PastoralandherdergroupswhichhadbeenattractedtoJubbahduetotheavailabilityofapermanentwaterbodyandnaturalrockshelterswouldhavemigratedelsewherewiththeirherdsofdomesticatedcattle,sheepandgoats.

The changes in the environment are reflected in the zoomorphiccontentoftherockartthroughtime(Khan1988a,1996,2000a).Thefaunapresumedtohavebeendepictedat Jubbah includes images of cattle, long-horned oxen,deer,gazelle,oryx, ibex,lion,dog,horse,donkey,ostrichandcamel.WhilethesehavebeenascribedtoperiodsfromNeolithictimestotheChalcolithicandMetalAges,itistobenotedthattracksoftheostrich(Struthio camelus)andoryx,nowextinctinallArabia,werestillobservedinthewesternNafudasearlyas1909,andthegoiteredgazelle (Gazella subgutturose) stilloccurredinthemostrecenthistory(Khan1985,1988a,1990b,1993a).

After the Neolithic, characterized by fully patinatedpetroglyphs,thereseemstohavebeenachangeinstylisticconventions, possibly to Chalcolithic and BronzeAgetraditions. The relatively large-sized human and animal figures insemi-naturalisticstylegivewaytomoreschematizedandsmall-sized animal figures of the Chalcolithic period (Khan 1993a, 2007, 2011).The formation of the Jubbah oasisprobablyfacilitatedcontinuousoccupationofthesite,anditsimportanceisperhapsunderlinedbytherecentobservationthat82.2%oftheprehistoricrockartsitesoverlookpalaeo-lakes(Jenningsetal.inpressa).Thereappearstobeevenan increase in human occupation and cultural activities

in the Jubbah and Hailareas during the Bronzeand IronAges (between3500–2500 years beforepresent).Theregion’srockart is now dominated byhundreds and thousandsof petroglyphs of camel,ibex, dogs and humanfigures (Khan 1991, 1993a, 2000a).

This re-appearanceof larger populations inthe region of Jubbah andHail indicates a changeinclimateandincreaseinhumidity, which coincideswith the geological andenvironmental resul tssuggesting an increasedhumidityinBronzeAgethatFigure 1.3. Rock art at Jubbah.

��Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan

hasbeendetectedalsointhesouthoftheKingdom.AttherockartsiteAinJamalnearNajran,OSLdatingofsandstonegrainsconcealedbyreprecipitatedcarbonatehasshownthatthemostrecentpondsofwateratthesitebeganformingonly3580±250yearsBP(Liritzisetal.2013).About2000camel figures are located from the site of Jubbah which maysupportthecontentionthatJubbah,also,witnessedanincreaseinhumidity,andperhapsthedrylakeofJubbahwaspartiallyreactivatedduringtheBronzeAge,thusattractingagainbothanimalsandhumans.SimilarlythesitesofJanin,MilihiyaandYatibintheHailarea,withhighconcentrationsof camel figures and Thamudic inscriptions, testify tothe increased human activities during the same period(BednarikandKhan2002,2005).Thesuperimpositionsandjuxtapositions of figures clearly indicate different cultural activitiesandrockartofdifferentperiods,depictedoneovertheotheronthesamerocks.

The numbers of human and animal figures recorded bytheDepartmentofMuseumsandAntiquities from490localities at Jabal Umm Sinman, in addition to ancientArabian and Kufic inscriptions, are shown in Table 1.

However,morerecentestimatesplacethetotalnumberofpetroglyphsandrockinscriptionsatabout15,000.Aswe

havenoarchaeologicalexcavationsattheJubbahNeolithicand lateroccupationsitesandourstudy isbasedon thesurfacecollectionofstoneobjectsonly,rockartistheonlysourcethatcantellusabouttheweapons,clothing,ornamentsetc.usedbytheprehistoricpeopleintheregion.Buttodothis effectively andanchor the rockart to archaeologicalevidence,itisessentialthatsomeideaofitsagebesecured.The first direct dating of rock art in the Middle East occurred atJabalUmmSinmanin2001(BednarikandKhan2005:62), when an early Kufic inscription among the rock art was usedtodetermineamicroerosioncalibrationcurve(Bednarik1992).SincethenaprogramofdatingSaudipetroglyphsby several direct and preferably non-intrusive methods(radiocarbon analysis, microerosion, optically stimulatedluminescence and colorimetry) has been conducted inmanypartsoftheKingdom,inthenorth(atUmmSinman,JabalAshShuwayhit,Janin,Jabalal-Bargh,JabalRaat),centralregion(Al-‘Usayla,UmmAsba’a)andinthesouth(AinJamalandTa’arintheJabalQarasitecomplex).Thishas provided a number of reliable chronological anchorpointsforrockartthatisunequalledinmostoftherestoftheworld(Table2).

Preliminarydirectdatingresultsfromrockartandinscrip-

Human figures Cattle Camel Horse Others Total

626 80 1378 45 4073 6202

Thamudic and other inscriptions 3500

Table 1. Early estimate of rock art motif and inscription numbers at Jabal Umm Sinman, Jubbah.

Site Dating Range (BP) Approx. age (BP)

Um Asba’a Calibration Known age 1120 BP

Al Usayla ‘Ibex’ 3180 – 2120 E2680 + 500 / - 560

Umm SinmanCalibration Known age 1150 to 1200 BP

Anthropomorph 1Anthropomorph 2

5650 – 42407070 – 5650

E4890 + 760 / - 650E5877 + 1190 / -220

Jabal Ash Shuwayhit

Inscription 1Inscription 2

3530 – 21303530 – 2120

E2830 ± 700E2540 + 990 / - 420

Janin ‘Gazelle’ Greater than 1820 ± 50 BP

Jabal al-Bargh ‘Date palm’ 3180 – 1770 E2370 + 810 / - 600

Jabal Raat

Anthropomorph 1‘Ibex’

Anthropomorph 2Cupule

5660 – 49606000 – 53004940 – 42409330 – 6220

E5310 ± 350E5550 + 450 / - 250

E4590 ± 350E7968 + 1360 / - 1750

Ain Jamal Calibration Known age 1300 to 1350 BP

Ta’ar Anthropomorph 2360 – 1570 E2109 + 250 / - 540

Table 2. Preliminary direct dating results from rock art and inscriptions by microerosion analysis and radiocarbon analysis, from nine sites in central, northern and far-southern Saudi Arabia.

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��tionsbymicroerosionanalysisand radiocarbonanalysis,fromninesitesincentral,northernandfar-southernSaudiArabia.

ThereforetwoanthropomorphsatJabalUmmSinmanaresafelydated,asarefourofthethousandsofpetroglyphsatJabalRaat.Anthropomorph2atUmmSinmanisconsideredto be one of the earliest of the ‘Jubbah style’ human figures. Theseareofhighlycharacteristicfeatures,onemetretallorhigher,typicallyslim,wearingskirt-likeapparel,indistinctiveattitudeswithaslightanglebetweenupperandlowerbody,alwayspainstakinglyexecutedbutwithambiguousfaces,andfrequentlyfoundinregimented,closelyformedgroupsofidentical size. These figures are so idiosyncratic and utterly unique that they are easily recognizable as the region’ssignaturemotifoftheNeolithic.Alwaysfullypatinated,theyarestrictlylimitedtotheHailregionandhaveneverbeenfoundelsewhere.Withanageofbetween5600and7000years, theydateclearly fromthe lastmajorhumidphasewhen the Jubbah lake was filled. Similarly, the large bovid figures with their often exaggerated horns are also fully patinatedandofthesameperiod,andthey,liketheJubbah-stylehumans,occuralsoatShuwaymis.Anthropomorph1fromUmmSinman,bycontrast,offersnodistinctivestylisticfeaturesandisnotfullypatinated,andpresumablydatesfrom the time of first desertification, as the economy enters theChalcolithictradition.

1.3.4 RockartofShuwaymisThe Jabals al-Manjor and Raat area is now hardly

suitable for humanhabitation, but evenatmid-Holocenetimestheareawasstilldenselysettled,asshownbytheabundance of archaeological evidence (Khan 2007).Thisincludesnumerousburialsites,otherstonestructures,stoneimplementsscatteredwidelyoversites,andtheextensiverockart.ThiscomplexisthemostspectacularofthesitesofnorthernSaudiArabia.Itssitesconsistofslopesofjumbled,

sub-angularboulders,mostly5–10metresinsize,onwhichmany thousands of motifs occur. Some compositionsbringtomindmonumentalmasonrywork,inthattheverydetailed and meticulously pounded figures of one or two meters are rendered 15–20 mm deep, as relief-like figures. The profusely decorated panels on many of these hugebouldersarenolongerrightwayup,andastheychangedtheirorientationeverytimethebouldersmoveddowntheslope, differently oriented figures were added. Some of themoccurentirelyupside-down,andmanyaretruncatedby subsequent fractures.The site therefore offers goodpotential for in-depthseriationstudies tocreate relativelycompletesequencesofrockarttraditions.

TheJabalal-Manjor/Raatcomplexnear thevillageofShuwaymiswasrediscoveredonlyintherecentpast.TheremoteandrelativelyinaccessibleareafartothewestofthevillageofShuwaymisfeaturesseveralPleistocenelakebedsandaseriesofwidelyspacederodingcliffs.LikeJubbah,thesitehasbeeninuseoveraprolongedperiodoftime,certainlyformostoftheHoloceneatleast.Ononesteeplyslopingpanel, about fifteen large cupules of 5–10 cm diameter occur.Theyappeartobetheoldestsurvivingcomponentofthesite,andwerealreadyin2001consideredtobeeitherof the final Pleistocene or the earliest Holocene (Bednarik andKhan2002).Thesurfaceofthepanelhaslargelyfallenvictimtoexfoliationsincethecupulesweremade,andtheoriginalsurfacehasbestsurvivedwithinthecupules.Thesame panel bears a series of archaic geometric motifs,such as circles, chronologically followed by hoof-prints,humanfootprintsoccurringinpairsandsuperimposedlargemotifs.Muchofthispanelisnolongeraccessibletoworkonbecauseofamassivebouldergravityhasplacedaboveit. The flat underside of this boulder bears large petroglyphs thatarealsoearly,butasetofmotifsonitspresentfrontface postdates the placement of the boulder. One of itsseveralanthropomorphs,ofapost-Jubbahstyle,hasbeen

dated to around 4500 years BP.Most recently the great antiquityof the cupule panel was confirmed, whenoneofitsmotifswasdatedtoabout8000yearsago,orpossiblysomewhatolder.

Becauseof theextraordinarydensity of petroglyphs at thesemajor sites, petroglyph-makingstonetools(hammerstones)canbefoundreadily,attheShuwaymissitesaswellasatJubbah.Theywere made mainly from a darksiliceous contact-metamorphicquartziteoccurringlocally.Thesetoolswereineveryformalrespectsimilartosuchstoneimplementsfound by studies in many otherFigure 1.4. Rock art at Shuwaymis, reversed by rock fall.


countriesaroundtheworld(Bednarik1998).JustasJubbahcomprises a large component of BronzeAge, IronAgeandhistoricalrockart,theseformsalsooccuratal-ManjorandRaat,thoughheretheyaresomewhatlesscommonlyrepresented. Recent graffiti or Islamic inscription, stillcommonatJubbah,appeartobeabsentattheShuwaymissites.

TheJabalal-Manjorcorpushasbeendividedintotwelveclusters comprising a total of 190 panels of petroglyphs(Jenningsetal.inpress).Acompleteinventoryhasnotbeenattemptedsofar.AtJabalRaattwomajorclustersofrockartcanbediscerned.

ThereisevidenceofthecontinuityoftheartatJubbahandShuwaymisforseveralmillenniaandwehaveaclearrecordofculturalactivitiesatJubbahandShuwaymisforupto10,000years thatceasedatabout1300yearsagowiththeadventofIslamandchangeinbelief,faithandlifestyle. Before this period of surviving rockart production,bothregionswereoccupiedforabout100,000years,andapparentlybeyondthat.

1.3.5 InscriptionsThe practice of producing rock art inArabia ceased

longagoandtherearenooralorwrittenrecord,legendsorstoriesaboutit;theculturehasbeenfossilizedintheformofthepetroglyphs.Withtheexceptionofancientwritings(inThamudic script) and early Kufic inscriptions nothing can be readorinterpretedwithcertainty.

The presence of Islamic and pre-Islamic inscriptionsdemonstrates the reliability of patina colour asa relativeguide toage.TheJubbahareawasoccupiedbypeoplecontinuously from the Neolithic until the present day.There are thousands of ancientArabic inscriptions suchasThamudicandearlyIslamicwriting,suggestingtheuseofcampingandlivingsitesforlongtimes(Al-Theeb1999;Khan2007).TheThamudicinscriptionsrevealthenamesofpersonsandtribes,thetribalsymbolsrepresentingthetribes that camped or lived near or around Jabal UmmSinman,andinrarecases(e.g.atYatib)commentdirectlyonrockartimagery.Suchcasesprovidevaluableglimpsesoftheoriginalmeaningofrockartmotifs.TheArabicwritingcontainsgenerallyversesfromtheHolyQuran.

IntwocasesatJabalAshShuwayhit,totheimmediatenorth of Umm Sinman,Thamudic letters were dated bymicroerosionanalysis.Inoneinscription,theletter‘sh’wasdeterminedtohavebeenmadeE2830±700yearsago,which identifies this as a relatively early example of the use ofThamudicscript.Thenearbyletter‘p’inanotherinscriptionhasbeenestimatedtoberoughly2500yearsold.

1.3.6 HistoryofexplorationofthesitesThe rock art sites at Jubbah are mentioned briefly in

the records and writings of several European travellers,historians and journalists who visited the region, notably

LadyAnne Blunt and her husband in 1879, Doughty in1888,Huberin1899,theGermanhistorianJuliusEutingin1894and1914,Musilin1914,GertrudeBellwhotookandpublishedphotographsin1914andtheexplorerandwriterH.S.Philbyin1952.

Scientific and Archaeological investigations at the site, however,startedin1976whentheDepartmentofAntiqui-tiesandMuseumsinitiatedacomprehensivearchaeologicalsurvey of the entire Kingdom. This first survey was reported byParrandMcAdamsinAtlal,Volume1(1976).C.ClarkepresentedanaccountofthesiteattheArabianSeminarinLondonin1979.

AmorecomprehensivestudyandrecordingoftherockartatJubbahwasundertakenbytheRockArtSurveyTeamonbehalfof theDepartmentofAntiquitiesandMuseumsin1986andpublished inAtlal,Volume11(1987).AbriefreferenceofJubbahwithitsdatingandinterpretationswasgivenbyMajeedKhaninhisPhDthesisof1989,publishedbytheMinistryofEducation(Khan1993a).Besidesthesebrief reports, a new book by Khan (2011) highlights theimportanceofthissiteandprovidesampleinformationtovisitors.TheMinistryestablishedextensivefencingoftheeastern side of Jabal Umm Sinman, facing the town ofJubbah,topreventuncontrolledaccesstotherockart.Siteguardsandfacilitieswereinstalled.InrecentyearsavisitorcentrehasbeenbuiltatJubbahandanewmuseuminHailisunderconstruction,allaspartofthedevelopmentoftheculturalheritageoftheregion.

The Shuwaymis sites, although always known to thelocal Bedouin, were officially rediscovered only in 2001, by the principal of the school at Shuwaymis, Mamdouhal-Rasheedi.HereportedthevastcorpusofrockarttotheDepartmentofAntiquitiesandMuseums,andMajeedKhanwentto investigatethereport. InNovember2001heandR. G. Bednarik undertook the first scientific investigation of Shuwaymis rockart (BednarikandKhan2002,2005). Inthesubsequentyearsasealed roadwasconstructeduptoShuwaymisvillage,and this isnowbeingextended tothevisitorcentreattheboundaryofthebufferzoneoftherockartsites.

ResearchonrockartsitesacrosstheSaudiArabiathesitehasbeenongoingforover30yearsandhasbeenpub-lishedbyDrMajeedKhan.

1.4 Landscape1.4.1 ThelandscapesettingofthesitesJubbah

The landscape of Jubbah is characterised by craggyhills with a range of capped pyramidal peaks and sanddunesoftheGreatNafuddesertlappinguptothem.Thesecondprominentlandscapefeatureisofindentationofthepaleolithiclakebed,inwhichthemoderntownofJubbahissituated(Figure1.5).

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��TheurbanmorphologyoftheJub-bahOasisischaracterisedbylongstripplotsandanirregularpatternofroadsandalleys.

Shuwaymis Jabal al-Manjor and Jabal

Raatformeithersideofavalleywithlowcraggylyingrockfaces,and vegetation that indicatesthe locationof riverbedrunningthroughit.TheenvironsofJabalal-Manjor and Jabal Raat areanother notable example of ahighly varied desert landscapeand changing climatic influences that have fluctuated considerably over the long period that it hastaken the landscape to evolve.Geology has been the ever-presentartist,asculptorplayingwithabundantpossibilitiesofform,colour and texture, especiallyaround the recent lava flow from anearbymountainthatdatestoabout10,000yearsago.

Theabsenceofasettlementincloseproximitytothesitefurtherexemplifies its desert setting with wideopen360degreehorizons.

1.4.2 FloraandfaunaThepresenceofwater,under-

groundandthroughrainfallallowsflora and fauna to flourish. Many trees and other plants naturallygrowintheprovince.Waterlevelscontinue to fall,however,as theregionalwaterdemandexceedsthe renewable water resourceand new-renewable resources.The fossil water of the aquifersis being drawn down to makeup the deficit, increasingly from deeperwells.

Wild animals known in HailProvinceincludetheibex,rabbits,desert rats, foxes, wolves, sev-eral types of lizards, poisonousand non-poisonous snakes andseveral species of birds includ-ingeagles,falconsandpigeons.Several early twentieth centuryaccounts report thepresenceof

Figure 1.5. Landscape setting and character of Jabal Umm Sinman.

Figure 1.6. Landscape setting and character of Jabal Al Manjoor and Jabal Al Raat.


oryxandgazelle.Wildlifepopulationshavebeenreducedasaresultofhuntingandexpandingurbandevelopment.

TheNafuddesertisrelativelyrichinperennialforageandghadabushes.ThedeepaquifersofJubbahoasissupportagriculturalactivities,includingpalms,fruittreesaswellasgraincropssuchaswheatandbarley.

2 The Sites Today2.1 Ownership and management2.1.1 Ownershipandresponsibility

The sites of Jabal Umm Sinman (Jubbah) and Jabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat(Shuwaymis)andtheareas in-dicatedastheirbufferzonesarethepropertyoftheGov-ernment of SaudiArabia, and in accordance with RoyalDecreeNo.M/26dated23/06/1392H(1972)andthroughtheResolutionby theCouncilofMinistersNo(78)dated16/3/1429H (2008),aremanagedby theSaudiCommis-sionforTourismandAntiquities(SCTA).

Immediate responsibility forsites lieswith theProvin-cial office for the SCTA in Hail, and the Director of Antiqui-ties and the Regional Museum in Hail.At the SCTA theresponsibility for World Heritage Sites falls into a specifi-callycreatedDirectorateGeneral,overseendirectlybyDrAliAl-Ghabban,VicePresidentforAntiquitiesSector.

ThesiteofJabalUmmSinman(Jubbah)wasfencedbya7kmlengthoffenceonitseasternsidein1408H(1987).Morerecently,fencing6kminlengthwaserectedatJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat(Shuwaymis),withplanstoex-tendit.Themouthofthevalleyhasbeendemarcatedwithboundarymarkersthathavebeenpaintedwhite.

2.1.2 LegalstatusThesitesofJabalUmmSinman(Jubbah)andJabalal-Man-jorandJabalRaat(Shuwaymis)aregovernmentpropertyand as site of archaeological and historical significance protectedbyRoyalDecreeNo.M/26dated23/06/1392H(1972),LawonAntiquities.ArevisedandupdatedversioniscurrentlyintheprocessofbeingpassedbytheCouncilofMinisters.Thisupdatedversionbroadensthescopeoftheoriginallegislation,butwillnoteffectthewayinwhichthesesitesareprotected.AllantiquitiessitesintheKingdomaremanagedandpro-tectedbytheSaudiCommissionofTourismandAntiquities,followingtheintegrationofAntiquitiesandMuseumsintotheSupremeCommissionforTourismthroughtheResolutionbytheCouncilofMinistersNo(78)dated16/3/1429H(2008).RoyalDecreeNo.M/26clearlystipulatesthat,

Article(8):Movableandimmovableantiquitiesandarchaeo-logical sitesexisting in theKingdomshall be consideredgovernmentproperty.Article (12) When planning development, expansion andimprovingvillagesandcities,preservingarchaeologicalsitesshallbeconsidered.PlanningprojectsinarchaeologicalsitesshallnotbeapprovedunlesshavingtheapprovaloftheAn-

tiquityDirectoratewhichshalldeterminethearchaeologicalareasandinformthecityplanningbodythereof.Article (14)TheAntiquity Directorate in association withrelevantdepartmentsof landsurveysshalldeterminear-chaeologicalmounds,buildingsandsitesclosetopopulatedareasinordertosecureitfrombeinginhabited.Article(22)TheAntiquityDirectoratealoneshallberespon-sible for maintaining and restoring registered immovableantiquitiesinordertopreservethem.Article(23)Registeredarchaeologicallandshallnotbeusedforstorage.Nocemeteries,buildingsor irrigationsystemshallbeplaced,orplantingoranyof trees removed thatcausechangetotheland’sfeaturewithoutalicensefromtheAntiquityDirectorate.Remainsofthehistoricalbuildingsandancientruinsshallnotbeusednoranysandorrockshallbe removed fromarchaeologicalsiteswithout thewrittenapprovaloftheAntiquityDirectorate.Article(55)TheAntiquityDirectorateistheonlybodywhichshallhavetherighttoexcavateandinvestigateforantiquitiesin the Kingdom. Commissions, scientific associations and archaeologicaldelegationsshallhavetherighttoundertakeexcavationswithalicenseaccordingtotheseregulations.Article(57)Excavationlicenseshallnotbeissuedforas-sociations and scientific commissions unless proven to be qualified both financially and academically. Article (59) Commissions, associations and delegationslicenced to carry out excavations shall comply with thefollowing:c)Not to removeanypart of thearchaeological building

unlessapprovedbytheAntiquityDirectorate.f) Provide detailed scientific report valid for publication

regarding the resultsof theexcavation inaoneyearperiodfollowingtheendofeachseason.

g)SubmitthediscoveredmovableantiquitiesattheendofeachseasontotheAntiquityDirectorateandundertaketheexpensesofwrappingandtransportingtothespeci-fied location, provided that antiquities are not removed fromtheexcavationlocationwithoutanapprovalfromtheAntiquityDirectorate.

Article(65)Alldiscoveredantiquitiesfoundbythecommis-sions,associationsanddelegationsshallbeofthegovern-mentpropertiesandshallnotbetransferredtoothers.

2.1.3 HabitationwithinthebufferzonesNeither the protected area or the buffer zone of the

JubbahsiteisinhabitedandasStateproperty,thereisnopossibilityforittobeinhabited.TheoasistownofJubbahislocatedstretchesouttotheeastoftheboundaryfencing.Asmallmunicipalparkandafootballpitcharelocatedwithinthebufferzoneontheedgeofthecorearea(Figure2.1).

InShuwaymis,anextendedBedouinfamilyofapproxi-mately25members,hastraditionallylivedinthebufferzoneoftheproperty.Theirsemi-permanentcamp,mostlyoftents,islocatedabout1kmfromJabalRaat.Thefamilyderivesits

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��

livelihoodfromcamelherding,mostoftheiranimalsgrazein the upper reaches of WadiAl-Mukhayet.This family’spresenceis instrumental totheprotectionoftherockart,whichtheyregardastheirownancientpatrimony.Itwouldbeimpossibletoapproachthesiteswithouttheirnoticing(Figure2.2).

2.2 Excavations and Archaeological investigation2.2.1 Jubbah

There is an ongoing Late Pleistocene and Holocenearchaeological research survey Palaeodeserts Projectat Jubbah since 2011. The survey, being undertaken byaninterdisciplinaryteamfromOxfordUniversityandKingFahdUniversityinRiyadh,isdirectedbyProfessorMichaelPetragliaofOxfordUniversity.Thissurveyhasbeeninstru-mentalinrecordingtherockartsitesusingGIStechnolo-giesandresearchapproach.

The team have started to publish their findings and an-nual fieldwork is planned to continue for the coming years. Itisanticipatedthatthisprojectwillcontinuetosupplyvalu-ablecomplementaryinformationaboutthesites,theirenvi-ronmentalhistoryandtheirusebythehumangroupslivingthereinPrehistory.

2.2.2 ShuwaymisThis follows extensive previous survey work of the

rockartandarchaeologicalresourcesbytheDepartment

of Antiquities and Museums since the1970s, recently including comprehen-siveGISrecordingofallsites.Theworkwas extended to the scientific dating of therockart,beginningin2001atJubbahand Shuwaymis, which has since beenextended to various other parts of theKingdom.

Thissitecomplexhasbeensubjectedtostudiessinceitsre-discoveryin2001bytheDepartmentofMuseumsandAn-tiquities, and more recently the SCTA,especially through theworkofM.KhanandR.G.Bednarik. In2013, thePalae-odeserts Project team working at Jub-bah,alsocarriedoutasurveyoftherockart sites at Shuwaymis. Otherwise, thismorerecentlydiscoveredsitehasnotasyet been the subject of substantive or-ganisedresearchexpeditions.

2.2.3 Othersites inHailRegionandgapsinknowledge

Apartfromthe1976and1987com-prehensivesurveys,therehasbeenlim-itedexplorationandresearchofrockartsitesacrosstheHailRegion.DrMajeedKhan’sworkonrockartinSaudiArabiaisacomprehensiverecordofinvestiga-tionsandsurveysthathavebeenunder-taken since the first survey of 1976.

Therearenocurrent researchexcavationsbeingun-dertakenatotherrockartsitesintheprovince,butapro-grammeof‘directdating’oftherockartwascommencedimmediatelyaftertheShuwaymisrockartcomplexbecameknownin2001.

Todatetherockartsiteshavenotbeensystematicallylinked toarchaeologicaldepositsatan intra-sitescale tocomplete palaeo-ethnographical, geo-archaeological andpalaeo-environmental context for the sites. The Palae-odesertsProjecthasstartedtoaddressthisgapattheJub-bah, but there is still a significant gap in this knowledge.

2.2.4 HailUniversityDepartmentofArchaeologyHail University, based in Hail City is one of two Uni-

versitiesintheKingdomtohaveadedicatedArchaeologydepartment.Although the study of rock art is not beingtaughtatthecurrenttime,theDepartmentandUniversityhave expressed an interest in developing research andteaching in the field.

2.2.5 InformationsourcesandarchaeologicalrecordAllthedataobtainedfromthecomprehensivearchaeo-

logicalsurveysandbytheRockArtexplorationteamintheDepartment of Antiquities and Museums are filed in the AntiquitiesResearchCentreoftheSaudiCommissionforTourism and Antiquities (SCTA) at its offices in Riyadh.

Variousotherpublicationsand reportsemerging from

Figure 2.2. Bedouin encampment in Wadi Al-Mukhayet, Shuwaymis.

Figure 2.1. Municipal park at the site entrance in Jubbah.


the more recent Palaeodeserts Projectareheld inandcanbeconsultedintheSCTAResearchCentre.

An extensive reference bibliographyofpublishedsourcesonthesitesispro-videdinAppendix1ofthismanagementplanandinthenominationdocument.

2.3 Conservation2.3.1 RockArt

The sites are in very good state ofconservation. This is attributed to theideal climatic conditions of the desertwith significantly limited moisture andassociatedvegetationgrowth.Thesiteshavebeenprotectedbyfencesandlocalguards forsome time inanestablishedpatternofstewardship thatdiscouragesvandalism or intentional damage. Theremotenessofsomesiteshasalsoactedasadeterrent.In terms of their state of conservation,theJubbahandShuwaymispetroglyphscompare favourably with most rock artcorpora around the world. The stateof rock art preservation is clearly afunctionofantiquity,rocktypeandrelativeprotectionfromtheelements.Therockartnominatedhere isgenerallyexposedtoprecipitationandoccursonavarietyof sandstones,whichareof variableresistancetoweathering.Theolder traditions,essentiallythoseexceedingc.5000yearsinage,areuniformlypatinatedbyironandmanganesesalts,andthisaccretionarymineralcoatinghascertainlycontributedtotheirconservation.TheNeolithicimages,whichformtheperhapsmostimpressivecomponentofthisbody,aregenerallybetterpreservedthanpetroglyphsofsimilaragesandoncomparablerocktypesanywhereelse.LowannualprecipitationandhighambientatmosphericpHhaveveryprobablycontributedtothisstate,which in theabsenceofnearbysourcesof industrialandcarbonemissionswillhopefullycontinue.

InJubbahtheproposedbufferzoneincludessomewa-terworks, parks and playing field, but is free of residential developments (Figure 2.3). An irrigation project immedi-atelyinsidethebufferzoneboundaryisintendedtoprotectthe town from flash floods.

Theskillsrequiredforthegoodmanagementoftherockart properties relate to its presentation to visitors, to themanagementofthesevisitors,andtoissuesconcerningtherockart’sconservation.Itisthelatteraspectthatinvolvesthegreatestneedfortechnicalexpertise,whichiscurrentlyof limitedscope inSaudiArabia.Over thepastdecadesrockart conservationhasdeveloped intoasophisticateddiscipline that is engaged in arresting or alleviating arangeofnaturaldeterioration factors,suchashydrology,

physicalweathering,biologicalweatheringfactorsaswellasanthropogeniceffects(Bednarik2007:85–114).2.3.2 Areas of archaeological significance and potential archaeological significance

Although the rock art sites have been extensivelysurveyedandarethereforeprotected,muchlessisknownaboutareasofarchaeologicaldepositsthatcouldassisttheunderstandingandanalysisoftherockart.Theboundariesofsuchsiteshavenotbeenestablishedandareasofpotentialarchaeological deposits have often not been identified.

Muchoftheseareaslieunderdesertsands,andassuchareprotected.Wheretherearesettlements,however,therearethreatstoarchaeologicalmaterialfromfarmingpractices,infrastructureprojectsandpotentiallyfromuncontrolledde-velopment.ThisisparticularlythecaseinpartsofJubbah.

2.4 Social and economic context2.4.1 Jubbahtown

The oasis town of Jubbah has c. 12,000 inhabitants.The present day settlement is characterised by modestsinglestoreybuildings,manyofthemattachedtogardens.Jubbah is easily accessible from Hail city, the provincialcapital.Jubbahtownisathrivingtown,withalaidoutroadnetwork,mosques,amodestcentrewithsmallshops,andrecreational facilities including a football pitch and sev-eralsmallparks.Theculturalofferofthetownincludesaprivatemuseum,runby theAlNaif familyandarecently

Figure 2.3. Jubbah, Jabal Umm Sinman, site boundary to northeast.

Figure 2.4. The present day settlement of the Jubbah oasis is located in the indent of the Paleolithic lake.


completedculturalcentreincludingup-to-datemeetingandconferencefacilities.

AlltheoasisstructureswouldoriginallyhavebeenbuiltinmudbrickinatypicalNajdistyle,thoughmuchofthesehavenowbeenreplacedbyrenderedconcreteblocks.Be-tween 100-150 mud brick buildings reportedly survive inthetown.

2.4.2 ShuwaymisShuwaymis is a largely rural and remote area with

Bedouin herders.Al Hayet is the closest town.A localBedouinfamilylivinginWadiAlMukhayat,attheheartofthesite,arepaidandtrainedbytheSCTAHailBranchtoactasguardsatthesite.

Shuwaymisvillageisamodestsettlementlocated40kmfromthesiteswithfewfacilities.Theroadconnectingthesite

to thevillage isnotmetaledanddevoidofanyservicefacilities.Afurther30kmfromShuwaymisisthetownofAlHayet,whichisanestablishedcentrewithcommer-cialandretailfacilities,andseveralsmallhotels/furnishedapartments.AtAlHayetthereisalsotheruinsof the ancient oasis of Fadakwith its extensive stone city wallandnowlargelyabandonedmudbrick buildings. One of the mudbrick houses has been restoredandconvertedforuseasa localmuseum.

2.5 Visitor facilities 2.5.1 Accesstothesites

Jubbahisreachedbyasphaltroad from Hail City where theregional airport is located. Thetrans-nationalhighwayconnectingRiyadhwithJordanrunsimmedi-atelytothenorthofthesite.

Jabal al-Manjor and JabalRaatarelocatedinaremoteareacurrently reached by un-metaleddesertroadforapproximately40km from Shuwaymis village andthetownofAlHayetbeyondthat.A new asphalt road is currentlybeingconstructed.However, thisisalargelyremoteareawithlittlehabitation and consequently fewfacilities, including service sta-tions,outsideofthecentressuchasAl Hayet. Nonetheless, theproximityofthesitestoMedinahProvince,andthesiteofMadain

Salehshouldnotbediscountedwithaviewtofuturetour-ismplanning.

2.5.2 BuildingsandservicesJubbah

TherearetwobuildingsatthedesignatedentrancetoJabalUmSinman(Jubbah),aguardshutandnewlycom-pletedvisitorcentre(Figure2.6).Thevisitorcentre,currentlyunoccupied, has not been fitted out. There are currently no toiletfacilitiesatthesite.

Oppositetheentranceandoutsideofthesiteboundariesisamunicipalparkwithlandscaping,shadestructures,andachildren’splayarea(Figure2.1).

Figure 2.5. Decaying mud brick building in Jubbah in close proximity to the privately owned Al Naif Museum.

Figure 2.6. Visitor centre at Jubbah.


ShuwaymisTherearecurrentlynovisitor

facilitiesatthesite.Tentativeplanshavebeendrawnupforavisitorcentre,similartotheoneatJabalUmSinman.2.5.3 Interpretation

Intheabsenceofthesitesbe-ingopentovisitorsatthepresenttime, there is little in the way ofinformation and interpretation atany of the rock art sites in theprovince.Thereis,nonetheless,agrowingbodyofinformationonthesitethatisavailabletothepublic,including:

National Museum in RiyadhTheNationalMuseuminRiya-

dhincludesdisplaysandinterpre-tationmaterialonrockartsitesinSaudiArabia.

Hail MuseumAsmallprovincialmuseumis

locatedinthecentreofHail.Typi-calofprovincialmuseums in theKingdom, the museum displayfollows a chronological orderfromthegeologyoftheKingdomand region in particular, throughhistoricstagesofdevelopmentuptothepresentKingdomofSaudiArabia.Afurtherroomholdseth-nographicmaterial.

The display provides infor-mation on the two sites as wellas exhibiting a small number ofartefactsandsamplesofrockart.TheMuseumistomoveintoanewbuildingwhichisunderconstruc-tionwithinthenextyear.

Local museumsInJubbah,theAlNaifMuseumisaprivatelyownedmu-

seummanagedbyafamilytrust.Althoughthemuseumdoesnotfocusonrockart,itcontainsconsiderableethnographicmaterialrelatingtorurallifeinanoasis,anancientwellandrestoredmudbrickbuildingsthatincludetheroomwherethetravellersLadyBluntandherhusbandstayedontheirvisitinthelatenineteenthcentury.

The localmuseum inAlHayetmainly focuseson theFadak, including finds from the site dating to various periods andseveralinscriptionsandstonecarvings.Aspartofthe

networkofnationalmuseums,thissmallmuseummaybeof significance for its proximity Shuwaymis.

On site interpretationAt the present time there is very limited information

availableatthesites,duetothelimitedvisitationtothesesites.SeveralpanelshavebeenerectedatthebasedoJa-balUmmSinmaninJubbahwithastoneplinthandpanel,withinterpretationtobeaddedtothem(Figure2.8).

Books and publicationsSmall fold out map brochures on the sites and other

culturalheritagesitesintheprovincehavebeenproducedby the SCTA Office in Hail.

Figure 2.7. Display of rock art sites in Hail Museum (September 2013).

Figure 2.8. Interpretation panels at Jubbah.

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�0There is also a more comprehensive and high qual-

ityguide to Jubbah, inArabicandEnglish,writtenbyDrMajeedKhanandpublishedbytheSaudiCommissionforTourismandAntiquities.

TheSCTAwebsitehasaselectionof200imageswithcaptionsthatcanbeeasilyaccessedwithalinkfromthehomepage‘RockArtintheHailRegion’.

2.6 Tourism in Hail Province2.6.1 TheProvincialTourismPlan

FollowingtheNationalSustainableTourismPlanfortheKingdom of SaudiArabia completed in 2002, a provinceleveltourismplanwaspreparedforHailin2004.

The plan identifies tourism resources of the province asbeing:

Resources related to the natural environment suchas scenic landscape beauty of the mountains anddeserts, flora and fauna with a variety of wildlife. Resourcesrelatedtoarchaeologicalsitesandhistoricplaces including prehistoric sites especially rock art,and,buildingsinthetraditionalarchitecturalstyleandmaterials.Resources related to other aspects of cultural herit-ageincludingBedouinwayoflife,traditionalmarkets,handicraftsandcuisine.Othertypesofresourcesincludingastrongsenseofhospitality,agricultural techniquesandproducts,mu-seums,festivalsanduseofcamelsandhorses.

However, the report also identifies Hail as not having ‘any singleoutstandingattractiontoserveasafocusoftourismdevelopment’.

Thevisionfortourismdevelopmentisbasedon‘culturalandenvironmentalheritageandsenseoftraditionalhospital-ity,withamissiontopreserveculturalintegrityandensureenvironmentalprotection.

The first five year plans recommended by the report, includeavisitorcentreatJubbahandtourismdevelopmentatAlHayet,which isatadistanceof40kmproximity toJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat,andtheclosestcentretothesites.Theplanalsorecommendsbetterapplicationoflandusecontrolsandzoningregulationsandthedevelop-mentof communitybased tourism includingeco-tourism,Bedouin camp visits and traditional handicrafts develop-ment.

The Provincial Tourism Plan is being actively imple-mentedby theSCTABranch inHail incollaborationwithnationalandregionalpartners.

2.6.2 Visitor profiles and growth forecastsThe Provincial Tourism Plan for Hail identifies the high-

estvisitoractivity intheprovinceasbeingvisitingfriendsandrelatives(VFR).Thereportalsopredictsthismarkettoremainstrongfortheforeseeablefuture,‘giventhedemo-graphicmake-upoftheKingdomandthehighnumberofHailislivingoutsidetheprovince’.

Growthareasareseenastheyouthmarketattracted

•

•

•

•

totheadventure,sportsandculturalactivitiesthatwillbeavailableintheprovince.Theexpatriatemarket,theArabandGCCmarketswillcomeforadventure,relaxationandculture. The Umrah Plus market will come to relax aftertheirpilgrimage.Hailwillbea ‘mustsee’stop for the in-ternationalmarketonculturaltours.Withthedevelopmentof theproposedconferencecomplex,Hailwillbecomeaconferencedestination.

VisitornumberstorockartsiteshasbeenlimitedasaresultoftherequirementtoobtainapermitfromtheSCTA.Current estimates indicate approximately 4000 vistors ayeartotheJabalUmmSinmaninJubbah.Itsremoteloca-tionhasmeantthatvisitornumbersattheShuwaymissitehavebeenmuchsmaller.Allvisitorsatbothsites,andotherrockartsitesintheregion,areaccompaniedontheirvisitbythetrainedguardsorguardiansatthesites.

2.6.3 ImplicationsforrockartsitesSaudifamiliesvisitingfriendsandrelativesintheprov-

incearenottheimmediatetargetforvisitstorockartsites,whilstgroupsthataremostlikelytobeattractedtosuchsitesare much less well represented in Hail’s tourism profile.

Most tourist facilities, including hotels and furnishedapartments, continue to be located in Hail City, which iswhere40%of thepopulation is located.HailCity isalsotheonlyTourismDevelopmentArea(TDA)recommendedfortheprovince.

Jubbah and Al Hayet have been identified as potential TourismSites.HandicraftsdevelopmentisrecommendedforJubbah.Thereisalreadyanexistingexpectationoftourismgrowth in Jubbah, exemplified in a number of municipal-ity-ledprojects,includinganewconferencecentre,anewsouq,shoppingcomplexincludingcraftsshops,andvariousmunicipalparks.Furtherproposalsforahotel(istraha)resthousecomplexhavebeensubmitted.

TheaccommodationofferinAlHayet,theclosestcentretoShuwaymis,remainslimited.

Rockartsitesingeneralaremorelikelytobepartofacompositeattractioncombiningnaturalandothercompli-mentaryculturalresources.

3 Key Stakeholders and Interest Groups3.1 Stakeholders

AlthoughtheprimaryresponsibilityfortheprotectionandconservationofthesiteslieswiththeSaudiCommissionforTourismAntiquities,AntiquitiesandMuseumsSectionanditsvariousdirectorates,anumberofstakeholderswhoeitherhaveauthorityinmakingplanningdecisionsbeyondthesiteboundaries have been identified as potential project partners inrealisingtheobjectivesofthemanagementplan.


3.1.1 GovernmentDepartmentsThe Saudi Commission for Tourism Antiquities (SCTA)AntiquitiesStudyandResearchCentreMuseumsDirectorateArchaeologyDirectorate

SCTA Branch in Hail, DirectorofAntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseuminHail(MrSaadAl-Rawsam)DirectorofTourism(MrMubarakSalama)

Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs (MOMRA)AsoverseeingtheMunicipalitiesofJubbahandAlHayit

3.1.2 LocalpartnersGovernorofHailProvinceHailProvinceDevelopmentCommissionGovernorofJubbahMunicipalityofJubbah(includingplanningdepartment)GovernorofAlGhazalahMunicipalityofAlHayetOwnersoftheAlNaifMuseum,JubbahLocalBedouinfamiliesactingassiteguards.

3.1.3 SupportingorganisationsUniversitypartnersandacademicsArchaeologydepartmentsinKingFahdUniversityofRiyadhandHailUniversityInternationalresearchteamsworkingintheHailRegionOtherexperts

3.2 Process of consultationAs part of the information gathering and preparation

for the WHS nomination and thismanagement plan thataccompanies it, one on one briefing and information ex-changemeetingswereheldby theconsultantandSCTAteamwith:

The Saudi Commission for Tourism Antiquities (SCTA) DrAliAl-Ghabban,VicePresidentforAntiquitiesandMu-seumsSectorMr Jamal Omar, Director General,Antiquities Study andResearchCentreDirectorGeneralforMuseums

SCTA Branch in HailMrSaalAl-Rawsam,DirectorofAntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseuminHailMrMubarakSalama,DirectorofTourismEng.ZiyadEyedahAlMusaiwel

JubbahMrFawzanalFawzan,MayorofJubbahEng.KhamissAkSaadi,MunicipalityofJubbah

GovernorofJubbah

ShuwaymisMayorofAlHayetGovernorofAlGhazalahregion

Archaeological excavation and research teamsDrMajeedKhanDrRobertBednarikProfMichaelPetraglia,directorofPalaeodesertsProject,UniversityofOxford

UniversityofHail(DrDaifallahalTahli,HeadofDepartmentofArchaeology,UniversityofHail)

Localcommunityrepresentatives.

ThesemeetingstookplaceaspartofawellestablishedanddialoguedevelopedbetweentheSCTAandlocalstake-holdersintherunuptotheWorldHeritageSitenominationprocess.Furthermore,theSCTAbranchinHailhasanes-tablishedworkingrelationshipwithmostlocalstakeholdersaspartofacommitmenttodelivertheProvincialTourismPlansince2004.

All the stakeholders have expressed their support oftheWorldHeritageSitenominationandareawareof thesupportingroletheywillneedtoplayintheprotection,con-servationandmanagementofthesitesthroughthecontextofthelocalsurroundings.

4 Significance4.1 StatementofSignificance

The outstanding universal values embodied in therockartofJabalUmmSinmanandJabalal-Manjor/Raatarethehighqualityofthepetroglyphs(engravings)thatdisplaydistinctivelydifferentrockarttraditionsoverthelast10,000years and reflect major economic and cultural changes, and theadjustmentsthatpeoplemadetoclimatechangeinaregionthathasalwaysbeenabridgebetweenAfricaandthecontinentsbeyond.

Situated at the geographical nexus betweenAfricaandEurasia,SaudiArabiahas longservedasacorridorthrough which people moved, exchanging technologicalinnovations,tradegoods,culturalvaluesandbeliefs.Theexceptionallyabundantandwell-preservedpetroglyphsonrockyoutcropsinwhatisnowasandydesertrecordsomeofthesemajoreventsinhumanhistoryagainstabackdropofclimaticchange.

The oldest rock art tradition evident at both of theproperties in the serial nomination is one of the world’slargest and most magnificent surviving examples of early Neolithicpetroglyphs.Itincludesanimalssuchastheibex,

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��whichwasreveredbyearlyNeolithicpeoplewhodepictedthe horns in exaggerated form.This artistic device andtheassociatedbold representationsofpeopleherald themonumental arts of later civilizationsof theMiddleEast.Neolithicstoneartefactswereleftbehindatencampmentsnear the shores of palaeolakes more than 6000 yearsago.

As cattle and horses were domesticated, they werebroughttotheregionandimagesofthemwereaddedtotheartcorpus.Withincreaseddesiccationandthedryingupoflakesafter3000yearsago,camelsbecameessentialto theeconomyof theancestorsof theBedouinandareillustrated in abundance alongsideThamudic andArabicscript.Depictionsofweaponsofwarsuggestthatthiswasacontestedlandscape.Gravesandstonestructureswithinthebufferzonesarefurthertestimonytotherichhistoryoftheregionandhavegreatpotentialforfurtherresearchintheregionwheresomeoftheworld’smajorreligionsandwritingsystemsevolved.

Criteria under which WHS inscription is proposed ThepropertymanifestsoutstandinguniversalvalueswithrespecttofourcomplementaryWorldHeritagecriteria:Criterion (i),Theexceptionallylargenumberofpetroglyphscreatedbyusingarangeoftechniqueswithsimplestonehammers,againstabackgroundofgradualenvironmentaldeterioration, are visually stunning expressions of thehumancreativegeniusbyworldstandards,comparabletothemessagesleftbydoomedcivilizationsinMesoamericaoronEasterIsland.Inthatsensealonetheyareofhighestoutstandinguniversalvalue.Criterion (ii),“Toexhibitanimportantinterchangeofhumanvalues,overaspanoftimeorwithinaculturalareaoftheworld,ondevelopmentsin…monumentalarts”,appliestoJubbahandShuwaymis,wherecertainlymorethan6000yearsofcontinuoushumanoccupationisarchivedinbothrockartandinscriptions.Criterion (iii),AtJubbahwecanfollowthebattleofpastsocieties against the environmental catastrophe theyexperiencedandadaptedto,inatrulyexceptionalexampleofsuchasituationwherethepetroglyphsrecordthenatureofthechangesandthestoneartefactsshowwherepeoplelivedinrelationtotherockartandtothelakeasitgraduallydriedup.AtShuwaymis,bycontrast, thepetroglyphsareallthatremainsofthetestimonyofasocietythatvanished,leavingbehindapristinerecordofitsexistencethatisofamagnituderarelyencounteredelsewhereintheworld.Criterion (v),Descriptionasatraditionalhumansettlementorhumaninteractionwithavulnerableenvironment“underthe impact of irreversible change” seems to have beenformulated specifically for the Saudi site complexes. It is hardtothinkofalternative,similarlycomprehensiverecords

ofcivilizationsfacingenvironmentaloblivion,anywhereinthe world, that have left such brilliant testimony of theirgenius.The two properties nominated literally exemplifythiscriterion.

4.2 Values associated with the sitesAlongside the significance and outstanding universal

valueofthesite,thereareanumberofvaluesassociatedwiththesitesthatenhanceandsupporttheirculturalsig-nificance, notably:Research value:Apart fromasmallnumberof researchexpeditions, the sites have not been studied in significant detail todateand there ishugepotential forongoing re-searchatthetwositesaswellasothersitesintheregionandwiderregion.Assuchthesitesandtheirsurroundingenvironmentswithholdhighresearchvalue.Education value: Thesiteshaveeducationalvalueinthecontribution they can make to professional level traininginanumberofdisciplinesatgraduateandpost-graduatelevelsinarchaeologyanditsrelateddisciplines,aswellasforschoolagechildren.Artistic/aesthetic value: Thesitesbearevidencetoalongartistictraditionspanningseveralmillennia.Thehighqual-ity engravings (petroglyphs) display distinctively differentrockarttraditionsoveraperiodof10,000years.Cultural historical value: The sites embody evidenceofBedouin lifestyleover thousandsofyearswith links toBedouincommunitiesand traditions today.Theyalso re-flect major economic and cultural changes that have been experiencedinaregionthathasalwaysbeenabridgebe-tweenAfricaand thecontinentsbeyond, including (cara-van)traderoutes.Intangible value:ThepetroglyphsaswellastheThamudicandArabicinscriptionsthathavebeenaddedwithinthelastthree thousandyearspoint toan intangibleheritage thatcontributestothespiritandfeelingofthepetroglyphsandtheirlinkstopresentdaylocallifestylesandtraditions.Landscape value: The landscapes in which the sitesarelocatedbearevidencetotheculturesthatcreatedtherockart,theirsettlementpatterns,andtheimpactsclimatechangehashadonsettlementsandthe landscape itself.Thepresentdaynaturalsettingsofthesitesareanimpor-tant component of how they are understood, interpretedandappreciated.Economic value: Althoughtourismactivityatthesiteshasbeen minimal to date, the sites can generate economicvalueatvarious levels fromjobcreation,servicingvisitorrequirementsandthedevelopmentandsaleofhandicrafts.Inthisrespect,thesiteshavelow,butnonethelessnotableeconomicvalue.

5 Management AssessmentThemanagementassessmentconsidersthesensitivities


ofthesites,threatsandknown,perceivedandprobably future risks thatwill needto be addressed in the managementpolicies.Thissectionalsoconsidersthestrengths of the site opportunities thatcan be built on when planning for theireffectivemanagement.

5.1 Sensitivities and threatsThere isconsensusthat thesitesof

JabalUmmSinman(Jubbah)andJabalal-ManjorandJabalAlRaat(Shuwaymis),and indeed other rock art sites in HailRegionarewellprotectedthroughclimaticconditions,extensivesecurefencingandguards, and sufficient legal instruments. The relative distance of the sites frommajorcentresofpopulationandgrowthalsoreducethethreatofencroachmentornearbyindustrialisation.Miningisalsonotseenasacurrentorfuturethreat.Naturalgeologicaleventssuchasearthquakesorvolcanic activity are also considered tobeanegligible threatbasedonhistoricoccurrencesintheregion.

There are nonetheless a numberof sensitivitiesand threats that need tobe addressed in short or medium termmanagementpolicies:

5.1.1 AccessibilityandsafetyThe sites are spread out and someareatsomedistancefromcentresofpopulation.Althoughthedistanceandisolationofsomeofthesiteshelpsprotectthem,this can also mean they are difficult tomanage.Thelocationoftheartonrockfaces,someofitatquiteaheightoraboveunstableterrainposeslimitationstosafeaccess.

5.1.2ProtectionandconservationAdverseweather,exposuretowindandrainwaterero-sionandtemperaturedifferentials,especiallybetweennightanddayhaveaminorimpactontherockartanditsconservation.Some damage has been recoded from animals andbirddroppings(birdsofpreyandsmallerspecies).Thereislimitedvegetationgrowthlinkedtothelowan-nualrainfall.Thefewscrubsandplantsthatdogrowatthesitesarenotaseriousthreattotherockart.There is no recent graffiti postdating the installation of the fencesandgarbage inandaround thesiteshas

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

beenlargelyremoved.Theconservationofrockartrequiresspecialistscien-tific and technical expertise, which at the present time doesnotexistinSaudiArabia.

5.1.3 DevelopmentpressuresThere are minimal development impacts (and thethreatof futuredevelopments)onareassurroundingtherockartsitesthatareofarchaeologicalorpotentialarchaeological significance in Jubbah.The successful inscription of the sites on the WorldHeritage List could have a significant impact on the numberofvisitorswishingtovisitthesites,andtheim-pactsofdevelopmentstosafelyaccommodatevisitorsatthesiteswillneedtobecarefullyconsidered.

•

•

•

Figure 5.1. Much of the rock art is located on uneven terrain and at a height.

Figure 5.2. Bird droppings, like vegetation are minimal at the sites.


5.2 OpportunitiesSome of the opportunities identified for the sites in-

clude:Levelofpreservationandfavourableconditionsfortheconservationofrockartandthecapacitytodesignateandmanageextensiveprotectivebufferzones.Central location and connectivity of Hail and humanresourcecapacity,supportedbyanestablishedUniver-sitypresenceinHail.LocalcommitmenttotheWorldHeritageSitenomina-tion and local ownership and identification with the rock art.

6 Vision and Objectives6.1 Aim

The aim of this management plan is to establish aframeworkthatwillensurethesustainabledevelopmentofthe twositeswithin theirbroaderregionalcontext topro-

•

•

•

vide a memorable and educational experience for usersandvisitors,withintheguidelinesofinternationallyaccept-edconventions.

6.2 Rationale and approachThegeneralconsensusisthatrockartisbestpreserved

understrictlymanagedconditionsandwithcontrolledandlimitedvisitation.At thesame time the importanceof thesiteneedstobecommunicatedtoandsharedwithlocalsandvisitorsalike,whilealsogeneratinglocalandregionalsocio-economicdevelopmentopportunities.

Intheinterestofsteeringvisitorfocusandpressureawayfromthesitesthemselves,andcapitalisingontheresourceavailability inHailCity,themajorpopulationcentreintheprovince,Hailwillbedevelopedasthecentreandforrockart.Hailwillplayagatewayfunctiontorockartintheregion,throughastateoftheartmuseumandaninter-disciplinaryRockArtResearchCentre.Thiswillnotonlybringrockarttoawideraudienceinaformatthatappealstothelargely

Figure 5.3. The growth of Jubbah town will need to be managed so as not to impact on areas of potential archaeological significancethatliebeyondthebufferzone.


family oriented visitor market, but also generate a flagship attractiontocomplimentotherculturalheritageattractionsinthecity.TheresearchcentreontheotherhandwillcapitaliseonHail’sexcellenttransportconnectionsandHailUniver-sity’sexistingarchaeologydepartment.TheSCTAbranchoffice in Hail will continue to play a major in the protection andmanagementofthesites.

ThetownofJubbahiskeentocapitaliseonapotentialWorldHeritageSiteonitsdoorstepandtheopportunitiestourismcandevelopatatimewhereagricultureisindecline.PlacingavisitorcomplexinthecentreofJubbahtown,willreduceimpactonthesiteanditssettingwhilstfocusingtheeconomic benefits from visitors into the town. An effective visitorcomplexinJubbahandgoodfacilitiescouldalsore-ducetheactualvisitstothesite.Thisgeneratesopportunitiestousetheinterpretationtolinktherockarttolife in the oasisandassociatedagriculturalpracticesandtraditions.

ItisalsoimportantthatJebelUmmSinmanisprotectedandpresentedwithin itsnaturalsettingand that facilitiesandinterpretationinandaroundthesitecanbekepttoaminimumandwhat isplaced there is sympathetic to thenaturalenvironment.Visitstothesiteareenvisagedinsmallguidedgroups,followingashorteasilyaccessiblerouteandaslightlylonger,‘tougher’route,allondesignatedwalkways.Astabilisedpathatthebaseoftherockcouldenablelessablevisitorstoseepartsofthesitefromhorse-drawncarts,orsimilarlow-impactmeans.

GiventheremotenessofthesitesatShuwaymis,anditsmorelikelyappealtoasmallspecialistaudience,visitswill

belowimpactguidedtourstoselectedpartsofthesite.Thetoursandanyvisitorservicesatthesitewillbedevelopedin collaborationwith the localBedouin familiesactingasguards/guides.

Inaddition,locallow-keyvisitorfacilitieswillbedevel-opedatrockartsitesincloseproximitytoHail,asthiscouldappealtovisitorsseeingtheexhibitionatthemuseumbutwho do not wish to travel far.This type of developmentwouldalsohelpabsorbvisitorsawayfromthemoreremoteandsensitive sitesbyprovidingaviablealternative.TheapproachisexplainedinFigure6.1.

It is inevitable that therewillbeanotable increase inrequests to visit the sites following their nomination andinscriptiononthelistofWorldHeritageSites.Itisthereforeessentialthatthesitesarepreparedinadvanceforthevisitsthoughinterventionsthataresensitivetotherockartandtheir landscapesetting,thatvisitsarecarefullymonitoredandthatagoodmonitoringsystemforthestateofconserva-tionoftherockartisinplacebeforehand.

6.3 Management objectives/ goalsThemanagementobjectivesareto:1. Protecttherockartsitesandtheiroutstandinguniver-

salvalueinaccordancewithinternationalgoodpracticeandguidance,andasanexemplarofgoodpractice.


3. Enhance theexperienceofvisitorsengagingwith thesitesandtherockartoftheHailregion.

4. Realisethepotentialofthesitestoservethetourism,

Figure 6.1. Overview of approach to visitor management and interpretation of rock art sites in Hail Province.

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��economicandsocialdevelopmentofHailRegionandthecommunitiesassociatedwiththesites.

6.4 Management team/ structureResponsibility for the implementation of the manage-

ment plan lies with the SCTA and its regional office in Hail Province.TheSCTA,underitsDirectorateforWorldHerit-ageSites,mayestablishaspecialentitywithresponsibil-itytomanagetheWorldHeritageSite,andcoordinatethevariousagencieswithadministrativeresponsibilitiesforthelocalitiesinwhichthesedispersedpropertiesareplaced.

AttheSCTAtheresponsibilityforWorldHeritageSitesfalls into a specifically created Directorate General, over-seendirectlybyDrAliAl-Ghabban,VicePresidentforAn-tiquitiesSector.

7 Management Strategy and PoliciesThissectionofthemanagementplanliststhemanage-

mentpoliciesthatwillbeadoptedtorealisethemanagementobjectives identified in the previous section. Each policy is linked toanumberofactions thatwill form theActionPlan for the next five year period of implementation of the managementplan.

7.1 Landscape, context and setting policiesMaintaining the natural environment and setting of

therockformationsisthekeyobjectivesinprotectingtheoutstanding universal significance of the rock art sites of HailProvince.

7.1.1 ArchaeologicalcontextandbufferzonesAsnotedinearliersectionsofthismanagementplan,

the archaeological context of most rock art sites in HailProvincehavenotasyetbeenfully investigated.TodateexcavationshaveonlybeenundertakeninJubbaharoundJabalUmmSinmanandseveralotherrockyoutcropswithinthevicinity.Theseexcavationsclearlyidentifytheneedforwiderarchaeologicalexplorationatallsitesandthepotentialsuchexcavationsandsurveyshaveincontextualisingtherockart.

Ongoingarchaeologicalstudiesarealongtermprospect,but as surveys have revealed, it is essential that areasidentified as being of potential archaeological significance areadequatelyprotectedatthistime.L1:Thesite zones recommendedas core zones for theWorldHeritagenominationwillbefullyprotected.

Thefencingwillbeextendedto includesitebounda-riesasrecommendedfortheWHSnomination.Any further developments within the buffer zoneboundary will be restricted and confirm to a masterp-lanforthesite.

Linkedto: Land-useplanningpolicies(7.2.2)

•

•

L2:Areasof archaeological and potential archaeologicalsignificance will be established and included in the buffer zones.

Existingsurveyinformationwillbeusedtoidentifyar-eas of archaeological significance and potentialarchaeological significance and determination of the bufferzoneboundaries.Commissionsurveystoidentifyareasofarchaeologi-cal significance and potential archaeological signifi-canceforareaswherethisinformationdoesnotexistandmightimpactonthebufferzones.Communicate locationofbufferzone to landownersandlocalplanningauthorities.

Linkedto: Archaeology,researchandconservationpolicies(7.3)Land-useplanningpolicies(7.2.2)

7.1.2 LandscapeandsettingVarioussourcesrelatethedistinctlandscapeofthesites,

notablytherockyoutcropssetinadesertlandscapeofsanddunesat Jubbah,and thevalleysettingwithclearviewsspanningintothedistanceatShuwaymis.Thesefeaturesalso contribute to the understanding and appreciation ofthesites.

Landscapeconsiderationsforthesitesshouldconsidertheviewstothesites,especiallyfromkeyvantagepoints,aswellastheviewsfromthesitesthemselves.L3: Key views of the rock art sites and significant views from thesiteswillbeprotected.

Undertakeviewshedstudiestodetermineviewsofthesitesfromkeyvantagepoints,toincludelandscapefea-turesandlandformationsthatcontributetotheunder-standingandstudyofthesites.

Linkedto: Land-useplanningpolicies(7.2.1)

7.1.3 CulturallandscapeBeyondthetwositesnominatedforWorldHeritageinscrip-tion,therichnessofrockartintheGreatNafuddesertaswellasinthesouthernandwesternpartsofHailProvincemake it into a significant cultural landscape. Especially as research in the field is developed and stronger connections aremadebetweentherockart,settlementsandthepilgrimandtraderoutesthatpassedthroughtheregion,thisaspectislikelytobeemphasised.L4:Thecollectivevalueofrockartsitesandtheirlandscapesettings inHailProvincewill be recognisedasa culturallandscape.

Continue province-wide studies to map rock art siteswithintheirarchaeologicalandlandscapecontext.Continueraisingawarenesswithlocalstakeholdersonthe significance and value of this cultural landscape.

•

•

•

•

•

•


7.2 Land-use planning policies 7.2.1 Developments impacting on the setting of thesites

Thelandscapeandsettingofthesiteshavebeenidenti-fied as a significant value and a means of contextualising the sitesinanevolvingenvironment.InthecaseofJabalUmmSinman,thisrockformationisalreadylocallyrecognisedassymbolofthetown.Itisthereforeimportantthatkeyviewstothesites,aswellasfromthesitesthemselvesareprotectedfromdevelopmentsthatwouldnegativelyimpactonthem.P1:Buildingandinfrastructuredevelopmentstakingplacewithin the identified view shadows will not unduly impact on thesettingandlandscapevaluesofthesites.

Ensureviewshedslinkedtothesitesareincorporatedontolocaldevelopmentplans.Stipulate guidelines (height and volume) for develop-mentsundertakenwithinviewshedzonesthatfallout-sideofthebufferzones.Discourage any urban/municipal lighting projects thatcouldnegativelyimpactonthesettingandappreciationofthesites.Upholdpolicyrestrictingnighttimelightingofthesites.

7.2.2 DevelopmentswithinthebufferzonesThebufferzonesareareasthatcontributetothecon-

servationandunderstandingofthesite.Theyarelikelytoinclude areas of archaeological significance or potential archaeological significance, as well as form an important componentof the landscapeandsettingof thesites.Ad-ditionally,itisanticipatedthatsomevisitorfacilitieswillbelocatedinthebufferzones.

Developmentswithinthebufferzoneswillbecarefullymonitored and directed to ensure that the significance and valuesofthesitesarenotcompromised.AnydevelopmentontheimmediateboundaryofthenominatedWorldHerit-ageSite,shouldbetreatedwithadditionalsensitivityandconform to similar planning and design guidance as thebufferzone.P2:Wherethebufferzoneextendsintoanexistingsettle-mentasatJubbah,alldevelopmentwithinthiszoneandincloseproximitytoitsboundarywillconformtostrictdesignguidelines.

Review the masterplan for Jubbah to ensure neces-sarydevelopmentcontrolsareinplaceforzonesfallingwithinthebufferzone,thatareofpotentialarchaeologi-cal significance and that impact on the setting of Jabal UmmSinmanandlinkedrockartsites.WorkwiththeMunicipalityofJubbahanditsplanningauthoritytoestablishdesignandheightguidelinesforanyinfrastructureandbuildingconstructionworkbeingundertakenwithinthebufferzoneoronits immediateboundary.Communicatetheseguidelinestoownersoflandbor-

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

deringthebufferzones.Continue arrangements that require all constructionworkswithinorontheedgeofthebufferzonetoobtainpermissionfromtheSCTAorabodyappointedbytheSCTAtooverseethemanagementoftheWorldHerit-ageSite.

P3: Where the buffer zone is open land, any proposedstructureswithinthiszonewillconformtostrictguidelinesintermsofdesign,materialsandimpact.

Establishdesignguidelines forsuchareas thatstipu-late lowrisesmall imprintstructures thatareecologi-callysoundusinglocallyavailablematerialsandfollowtraditionalnormsofbuilding.Liaisewiththerelevantinfrastructureagenciestoavoidlocationofpavedroadsandotherinfrastructurepass-ingthroughthebufferzone.

P4:Any development work within a buffer zone will beprecededbyarchaeologicalinvestigations.

Coordinatewithlocalplanningandnationalinfrastruc-tureagenciestoensurepriornoticeisgivenofplanneddevelopments within the buffer zones and ensure allarchaeological investigations are undertaken by suit-ably qualified teams.

7.2.3 DevelopmentswithinthesiteboundariesBytheirverynature,rockartsitesarespreadoutoveralargeexpanseofnature.Theirpreservationandinterpreta-tionwithinthisnaturalsettingisessentialfortheireffectiveprotection,understandingandappreciation.AspartofthemanagementstrategyadoptedforthesitesofJabalUmmSinman(Jubbah)andJabalal-ManjorandJabal Raat (Shuwaymis) and the objective of protectingthesitesasanaturalenvironment,evenminimalandlowimpactdevelopmentswillnotbepermittedwithinthesiteboundaries.P5:Allmajorstructures,pavedsurfacesandserviceswillberestrictedtotheperipheryofthesites’bufferzoneandconformtoestablisheddesignguidelines.

Establishdesignguidelines for thesiteperiphery thatstipulatelowrisesmallimprintstructuresthatareeco-logicallysound,uselocallyavailablematerialsandarereversible.Ensurethatmainsservices(waterandelectricity)arelimitedtoserviceareasatthesiteentrance.

P6:Onlystructuresofatemporarynature,whicharefullyreversible and are in the interest of protecting the sites’outstandinguniversalvaluewillbepermittedwithinthesiteboundaries.

Commissionthedesignofinternationalstandardraisedwalkwaysthatwillensuretherockartandassociatedarchaeologicaldepositsareprotectedinthebestpos-sibleway.Commissionthedesignoftemporaryshadestructures

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��thatcouldbeplacedontheagreedvisitorroutewalk-waysatthesites.

P7: Vehicular traffic will not be permitted within the site boundaries.

Carparkswillbeplacedoutsidethebufferzones.Forareaswhereahigherlevelofvisitationisexpected,developdesignsforalowimpactconsolidatedsurfacethat is suitable for pedestrian traffic, carts and emer-gencyvehicles.

7.3 Archaeology, research and conservation policies7.3.1 Documentation

BuildingonsurveysundertakenbytheDepartmentofAntiquities in 1976 and 1986, more recent research andpublicationsonthesubject(seeAppendix1)andongoingsurveys aregenerating an important bodyof informationrelating to the sites and their geological, archaeological,environmentalandsocialcontext.Asagrowingnumberofresearchersstartworkingonthesitestheneedforacoor-dinatedandaccessibleGISlinkeddatabaseofpublications,reports and finds becomes even more important. A1:Aprovince-wide‘rockart’databasehasbeenestablishedto share all scientific information pertaining to rock art sites intheprovince.

Inpartnershipwiththeteamscurrentlyworkingat thesitesdevelopandhostaGISlinkeddatabaseofinfor-mation and finds.Maintainhardandelectroniccopiesofall reportsandpublicationsrelatingtotherockartsitesinHailProvinceandinSaudiArabiaintheSCTAResourceCentre.

7.3.2 ArchaeologicalexcavationArchaeologicalexcavationandexplorationsurroundingtherockartsites,andessential tocontextualisinganddatingtherockart,isasyetinitsinfancy.Withgrowingawarenessof the significance of the sites nominated for the World HeritageListandothernumeroussitesinHailProvince,itis importantthatarchaeologicalexplorations,excavationsandsurveysshouldcontinue.A2:ArchaeologicalexcavationsatthesitesinpartnershipwithSaudiUniversitiesandinternationalinstitutionswillbecontinued.

Promoteandsupportongoingarchaeologicalinvestiga-tionsatrockartsitesandareassurroundingthem.

A3: Secure and suitable storage facilities will be estab-lished for archaeological material and finds that result from excavations.

Agreelocationthatissafeaswellaseasilyaccessibleforstorageofarchaeologicalmaterials.Design storage facilities in consultation with the ar-chaeological teams and to internationally acceptedstandards and conditions for the storage of differenttypesofmaterial.

••

•

•

•

•

•

Ensure stores are accessible for scientific research purposesandmaterialsthatarestoredarelinkedtothedatabase.

7.3.3 ResearchandanalysisResearchtodateclearlypointstotheextentofdiscov-

eryandresearchstilltobeundertakentobetterunderstandrockartbothinHailProvinceandinSaudiArabia.Thees-tablishmentofastate-of-the-artresearchcentrewillservea number of purposes, including furthering multi-discipli-naryresearchonthesubject,providingabaseandfacili-tiesforSaudiandinternationalteamsworkingatthesites,coordination of information and finds, and training Saudi archaeologiststoworkandresearchinthisdiscipline.A4:Astate-of-the-artresearchcentreforRockArtStudieswillbeestablishedinpartnershipwithHailUniversity.

WorkwithHailUniversitytoestablishacentreforRockArtStudieslinkedtotheirarchaeologydepartment.Establishlinkswithinternationalpartner institutionstosupportandfacilitatethefoundingofthecentre.Through the centre train and develop local scientific andtechnicalexpertiseintheconservationofrockart.

Linkedto: Educationpolicies

7.3.4 ProtectionandconservationThestateofconservationoftherockartsiteshasbeen

reportedasbeingverygoodwithlocalclimaticconditionsbeing ‘ideal’ for their long-termsurvival.Threats linkedtohumanactivitiesareaddressedinlanduse,protectionandvisitormanagementpolicies.

Undergroundarchaeologicalmaterial is lesswellpro-tected, largely because areas where significant material depositsandothervaluableinformationmaybefoundhavenot been fully identified and therefore protected.A5:Therockartwillcontinuetobeprotectedinaccordancewith Royal Decree No. M/26 through existing measures,consideredvisitoraccess,managementandregularmoni-toring.

Workwithlocalguardstoregularlymonitorthecondi-tionof thesitesandmaintainthefencingsurroundingthem.Linktheconditionoftherockart tothedatabaseandmonitorthroughregularconditionsurveys.Establish the maximum number of visitors per groupto the various sites that will not cause damage to orendangertherockart.

A6:Measures to improveprotectionandsafeguardingofareas of known and potential archaeological significance willbeimplemented.

ThebufferzonesfortheJubbahandShuwaymissiteswillincludeareasofknownarchaeologicaldepositsandareas identified as having archaeological potential.Ensure areas of archaeological evidence within the

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•


bufferzones, includingbasesedimentandrockfacesarenotimpactedonbyvisitation.Throughsurveysestablishsimilarzonesorareascon-nectedtorockartsitesintheprovince.Allnewlydesignatedareaswillbesafeguardedinac-cordancewithRoyalDecreeNo.M/26.

Linkedto: Land-useplanningpolicies VisitormanagementpoliciesA7:AmonitoringprogramaspertheWHSnomination(6.a)willbeestablishedandimplemented.

Establish a comprehensive monitoring system of keyindicators measuring the state of conservation of thesites, especially of the effects of increased visitationandnaturaldeterioration.Select permanentmonitoring stationsat both sites inaccordancewiththeWHSnominationdocumentSec-tion6.a.EnsureallmonitoringdataisloggedwiththeSCTAandstoredsafely.

7.4 Visitor management policiesVisitormanagementpoliciesarepredominantlylinkedto

thevisitorexperienceandwaysinwhichitcanbeenhanced.Theyarealsocloselylinkedtopresentationandinterpreta-tionpolicies(Section7.5)aswellaspoliciesconcerningtheprotectionandsafeguardingoftherockart.

7.4.1 HailCityAsthemajorpopulationcentreoftheprovinceandwith

increasinglydevelopingconnectivityHailhasthepotentialtobecomethegatewaytotherockartsitesandthemajorpointforvisitorinteractionandinterpretation.Hailisthemajorpopulationcentreandpointofarrivalandevenawarenessofthesitesformostvisitors.Thereisanopportunitytogenerateamemorablevisitorexperience(withoutevenvisitingthesites),andlinkededucationalactivitiesforfamiliesaswellasforlocalschoolsanddifferentagegroups.V1:HailMuseumwillbedevelopedwithmajorexhibitstobecomethe‘gateway’totheWorldHeritageSiteandrockartintheprovince.

EvaluateexistingplansforthenewmuseuminHailtodetermineways inwhichtherockartdisplayscanbeenhancedandenlarged.Engagemuseumdesignerstodevelopstate-oftheartandinteractivedisplaysthattellthestoryofrockartinHailProvinceandSaudiArabiainwaysthatwillappealtoapredominantlyfamilyaudience.

Linkedto: Presentationandinterpretationpolicies

7.4.2 JubbahInordertoreducetheimpactofvisitorstothesite,as

muchaspossibleofthevisitorservicesandinterpretationaspossiblearebeingplacesawayfromthesitesandwithin

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

dedicated visitor centres or visitor complexes.This alsogenerates opportunities to use the interpretation to linktherockarttolifeintheoasisandassociatedagriculturalpracticesandtraditions.

Visits to the actual sites will be carefully managedthrough low impactandguided tours.Given theuneven,andinplaceshazardousterrain,itisadvisablethatgeneralvisitation is restricted to the more easily accessible andlowlevelclustersofrockart.Itisparamountthatvisitationdoesnot impactontherockartor theasyetunexploredarchaeologicalmaterialandsedimentsatthesites.V2: AvisitorcomplexwithintheheartofJubbahtownwillactasthemainhubforvisitors.

WorkwiththeMunicipalityofJubbahtoidentifyasuit-ablelocationforavisitorcentrethatisincloseproximitytootherculturalheritageattractionsinJubbahtown.Commissiondesigns fora low impactvisitorcomplexthatisbuiltinaccordancewiththedesignguidelinesasrecommendedinP2.Facilitiesinthisoff-sitevisitorcomplexshouldincludewelcome, ticketing point, interpretation and displays,restandfoodanddrinkfacilities.Placeroadsignagethatclearlydirectvisitorstothevisi-torcomplexasthepointofentrytothesite.

Linkedto: Land-useplanningpoliciesV3:Visits to Jabal Umm Sinman will be by appointment(timedtickets)andbyguidedtoursinsmallgroupsonly.

Identifyareasof rockart thatare reasonablyeasy toaccessfortheguidedgroupsandarenotahealthandsafetyhazardtovisitors.Developavisitorrouteforthegroupstofollowthatisinthebestinterestoftheprotectionoftherockartandas-sociatedarchaeologicalmaterialwithminimalimpactsforaccess.Establish paths and/or raised walkways that will notimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that will preventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpan-elsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdeveloping rock art sites for visitation (as identified in P6).Developtheexistingvisitorcentreattheentrancetothesite as a gathering and introduction point for groups,with toilets, drinking water and first aid equipment.Monitor the impact of visitors to the site, health andsafetyconsiderationsandenjoymentofthevisit.

Wheretheuseofhorsecartsisproposedthenthisshouldbeonspeciallydesignedpathwaysandontheedgeofthesitefollowinganimpactassessment.Additionallyanareaoutsideof the site boundary needs to be identified for stabling, and sufficient shade areas and water sources provided for the animalsatthestartoftheroute.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�07.4.3 Shuwaymis

Itisrecommendedthatvisitstothesiteintheimmediatefuture remainstrictly limited tosmallgroupsandspecial-istvisitors.Giventheremotenessof thesite,even in thelongertermitismorelikelytoappealtoasmallspecialistaudience.V4:Alocallymanagedsmallrestpoint/visitorreceptionclosetoJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaat,attheendofthemetalledroadandimmediatelyoutsidethebufferzone,willprovideservicestoresearchersworkingatthesiteandvisitors.

Commissiondesignsforasmallrestpoint/visitorrecep-tion that isbuilt inaccordancewith thedesignguide-linesrecommendedinP3,asaclusteroflowrisesmallimprintstructuresthatareecologicallysoundusinglo-callyavailablematerialsandfollowtraditionalnormsofbuilding.Facilities in the locally managed visitor reception willincludeasmalldisplay,toilets,restandpicnicfacilities,as well as first aid equipment.

Linkedto: Land-useplanningpoliciesV5:VisitstoJabalal-ManjorandJabalRaatwillbebyap-pointment/permitunder thecontrolof theSCTAandonlyandinsmallguidedgroups.

Visitstothesiteswillbeinsmallgroupsledbyalocalguide,startingfromthevisitorreception/restpoint.Identifyareasof rockart thatare reasonablyeasy toaccessfortheguidedgroupsandarenotahealthandsafetyhazardtovisitors.Developavisitorrouteforthegroupstofollowthatisinthebestinterestoftheprotectionoftherockartandas-sociatedarchaeologicalmaterialwithminimalimpactsforaccess.Establish paths and/or raised walkways that will notimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that will preventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpan-elsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdeveloping rock art sites for visitation (as identified in P6).Demandforvisitsandimpactsatthesiteswillbemoni-tored.

Linkedto: Education,trainingandcapacitybuildingpolicies Presentationandinterpretationpolicies

7.4.4 OtherrockartsitesinHailProvinceNoneoftherockartsitesintheprovinceareopento

unrestrictedvisitation.WiththedevelopmentofdedicatedrockartdisplaysatHailMuseumitislikelythattheremaybeanincreasedinterestinvisitingsitesthatarecloseproximitytoHailCity.ThesiteofYatibforexampleiseasilyaccessiblefromHail.Itisalsosmallandcompactenablingrelativelysimpleinterventions,whilstofferingagoodselectionofrockartandinscriptionsforvisitorstoview.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Asiteorseveralsitesthatmaybeopenedupinsuchwayswillbecarefullyselectedandvisitor impactsat thesitescarefullymonitored.V6:Theopeningupofsmallerandaccessiblerockartsitestovisitorswillbeconsideredwheresensitiveandsustainableinterventionsarepossible.

Assess suitability of a sitebasedoneasyaccessibil-ityfromtransportationroutes,easyaccessibilityofrockartforviewing,safetyofterrainforvisitors,vulnerabilityandfragilityofrockart,possibilityofviewingaclusterofrockartthatwillmakeavisitmemorableandworth-while.Basedon theboundaryof thesite,andviews toandfrom thesite,establishasuitable location forasmallvisitorreceptionpoint.Commissiondesignsforasmallrestpoint/visitorrecep-tion that isbuilt inaccordancewith thedesignguide-linesrecommended inP3,asa lowrisesmall imprintortemporarystructurethatisecologicallysoundusinglocallyavailablematerialsandfollowstraditionalnormsofbuilding.Facilities in the locally managed visitor reception willincludeasmalldisplay,toilets,restandpicnicfacilities.Establish paths and/or raised walkways that will notimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that will preventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpan-elsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdeveloping rock art sites for visitation (as identified in P6).Establish a system of local guides who will lead thesmallgroupvisitstothesitestartingfromthevisitorre-ception/restpoint.Demandforvisitsandimpactsatthesiteswillbemoni-tored.

Linkedto: Education,trainingandcapacitybuildingpolicies Presentationandinterpretationpolicies Land-useplanningpolicies

7.5 Presentation and interpretation policiesTheinterpretationoftherockartsiteswillfollowthesame

rationaleforvisitormanagement,byfocusinginterpretation‘hardware’inaneasilyaccessibleandserviceablelocationinHailCity,andthencascadingdowntothesitesthroughaseriesofsmallvisitorcentresandvisitorreceptions,andsupportedbymobiletechnologies.

Thisisintendedtoreducevisitorpressureatthesitesthemselvesaswellas‘clutter’ofinterpretivematerialsatthesites,with interpretationdelivered throughvisitor centresandreceptionpoints,mobiletechnologiesandlocalguides.Arangeofinterpretiveapproachesandmaterialswillalsoassistinreachingandappealingtodifferentaudiences.I1:Aprovince-widerockartinterpretationplanwillformthe

•

•

•

•

•

•

•


frameworkforonsiteinterpretationandacoordinatedap-proachtothekeymessages,asWHSnomination(5.i).

Commission an interpretation plan for the proposedRock Drawings of Hail Province World Heritage Siteandotherrockartsitesacrosstheprovince.Usetheinterpretationplanto informthedevelopmentof interpretive materials at the major centres, at thesitesandinothermedia.Updatetheinterpretationplanonaregularbasistoin-cludenewinformationthatcomestolight.

7.5.1 Museums,visitorcentresandvisitorreceptionsThetypeandsizeofbuildingsproposedforthevarious

visitor facilities have been identified in Sections 7.2 Land useplanningpoliciesand7.4Visitormanagementpolicies.Thefollowinginterpretationpoliciesfocusonthetypesofinterpretivemessagesandmaterialsthatcouldbedeliveredacrossthesites.I2:State-of-the-artandengagingdisplaysthatwillappealtoabroadnon-specialistaudiencewillpositionHailMuseumasa‘gatewaytotheWHS’.

Workwiththemuseumdesignerstoseekthemostef-fectivemeansthroughwhichtherockartstorycanbeconveyedtoaudiences.Considertheuseofgoodqualityreplicasforpartofthedisplay.Work in partnership with the proposed RockArt Re-searchCentretodevelopdisplaysonthearchaeologi-calprocessandongoingresearch.Workwitheducationspecialiststobuildinprovisionforchildrenandschoolsgroups,includingdedicatedlearn-ingenvironments.

Linkedto: Education,trainingandcapacitybuildingpolicies Archaeology,researchandconservationpoliciesI3:ThevisitorcentrelocatedinJubbahtownwillconveythelinksbetweentherockartandlifeintheoasis.

WorkwithmuseumdesignersandlocalpartnersinJub-bahtodevelopdisplaysthatintroducetheJabalUmmSinmanrockartaswellasthedevelopmentoftheoasisfromprehistorytothepresentday.Develop interpretiveactivities thatwillappeal to fami-lieswithchildren.Promotetheprotectionandconservationoftraditionalbuildingsandstreetmorphologysurroundingthevisitorcentreasanadditionalattractiontovisitors.

Linkedto: Visitormanagementpolicies LanduseplanningpoliciesI4:Visitorreceptionpointswillprovideinformationoneachsiteandgiveanintroductiontothevisit.

Workwithdesignerstodevelopsimple,easytomain-tainandrobustdisplaypanelsontheindividualsitesfor

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

indooruseinthereceptionpoints.Developpodcastsorsimilarmobiletechnologiestopro-vide more in-depth interpretation on the rock art andother aspects (e.g. flora and fauna) of the sites. These shouldbelinkedtothedisplaypanelsandaccessedbyscanningacodeonthepanelswithamobilephone.Develop a short video to be shown at the start of agroupvisitthatconveysthingstobeawareandconsid-erateofwhenvisitingthesites.

Linkedto: Visitormanagementpolicies

7.5.2 On-siteinterpretationInterpretationmaterialsplacedonsitewillbekepttoa

minimum,reducingtheimpactof‘clutter’onthesitesandne-gating the difficulty of maintaining signs and panels in desert conditionsandhightemperatures.Instead,interpretationwillbeprovidedbyanintroductionatavisitorreceptionpoint,localguideswhowillguidesmallgroupvisits,andmaterial(text,oralorvideo)downloadabletomobilephones.I5:Localsiteguardianswillbethemainpointofinformationandguidesatthesites.

Trainlocalguardstowelcomeandguidevisitorsaroundthesites.

Linkedto: Education,trainingandcapacitybuildingpolicies VisitormanagementpoliciesI6: Interpretation material and signage within the siteboundarieswillbekepttoaminimum.

Onlyessentialanddirectionalsignageshouldbeplacedatthesites.Thissignageshouldbeuniforminappear-ance,andsensitivetotheenvironmentandnaturalset-tingofthesites.Where rock art may be visible from beyond the siteboundaryaviewpointwithinterpretationpanelsmightbeconsideredontheboundaryfence.Suchinterpreta-tionshouldbelowlevel,conformtothedesignguide-linesforstructureswithinthesiteboundaryandinnowayvisuallyimpactonthesiteanditssetting.

Linkedto: Visitormanagementpolicies Landuseplanningpolicies

7.6 Education policies7.6.1 Archaeologyeducationandresearch

One of the key benefits the recognition of the rock artsites inHailProvincewillbring is thedevelopmentofresearch and professional training in the field of rock art, which will be a first in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and thewiderregion.Thenominationseekstobuildonthisop-portunitybyestablishingaCentre forRockArtResearchhostedbyHailUniversity (7.3.3).Thiswill supportSaudischolars to become experts and lead research into thisfield.E1:ThroughtheproposedCentreforRockArtResearch

•

•

•

•

•

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��andother initiatives theeducationalpotentialof thesiteswillbeactivelypromoted.

Working in partnership with research and excavationmissionsworkingattherockartsitesenableSaudistu-dentstoparticipateintheworkofthemissions(onsite,inresearchlaboratoriesandinmaterialconservation).SeekfundingforSaudischolarstoundertakePhDlevelstudiesorresearchatinternationalpartnerinstitutionsandcentresspecialisinginrockart.EstablishmeansthroughwhichSaudistudentscanbetrained in the most up-to-date scientific and technical methodsrequiredforrockartconservation.IntroducelecturesormodulesonrockartattheDepart-mentsofArchaeologyinRiyadhandHail,includingin-putfrominternationalexpertsworkinginSaudiArabia.

Linkedto: Archaeology,researchandconservationpolicies

7.6.2 SchoolsandlinkededucationprojectsThesitesandtheknowledgepertainingtothemisalso

of educational value to school level children in subjectsranging from history, biology and social sciences. Work-ingincollaborationwiththeproposedCentreforRockArtResearchthenewrockartdisplaysatHailMuseumwillbethe focus for school visits, benefitting from the catchment areaofHailanditsyoungpopulation.E2:Astrongeducationalcomponentwillbedevelopedaspartof the interpretationof thesitesand rockart inHailProvince.

AspartofthedevelopmentofHailMuseumappointaneducationspecialisttoworkwiththemuseumdesign-erstodevelopdisplaysthataresuitableandattractivetovariousagegroups.Commissionfromaneducationspecialist,educationalmaterials, includingteacherguides, linkingtheexhibi-tionmaterialtotheSaudiMinistryofEducationcurricu-lum.Train education officers to work in the Museum to liaise withschoolsandguideschoolvisits.

Linkedto: Presentationandinterpretationpolicies

7.6.3 CapacitybuildingatsitesAthirdstrandofthetraininginvolvesimprovingcapac-

ityatthesitesandpartneringwithlocalcommunitiesandtrainingguardsandguidestoprotectthesites,managelo-calvisitorservicesandactasguides.E3: Asystemof localrangers(guides/guards)developedinpartnershipwiththelocalBedouincommunitieslivingincloseproximitytothesites,willformthecoreofsiteprotec-tionandvisitorservicesofferedatthesite.

Establish a centre in Hail to coordinate the appoint-ment,trainingandactivitiesoflocalsiterangers.Provideadequatetrainingtoappointedrangers,includ-

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

ingtheimportanceofthesites,managingandprotectingthe rock art and areas of archaeological significance, leading and guiding visitor groups, and basic first aid. Monitor efficacy of training and organise regular re-freshercourses thatalsoallowrangers toshare theirexperiences.Rollouttherangerprogrammetootherrockartsitesintheprovince.

7.7 Tourism policiesTourisminHailProvinceissteadilygrowingandissupport-edbyagrowingnumberofdiversevisitorattractionsandvisitorservices,notablyhotels.Theprimemarketremainsfamiliesvisitingfriendsandrelatives.

7.7.1 TourismpromotionTheinscriptionofsitesontheWorldHeritageListreg-

ularlygeneratesa renewed local interest in them,withasurgeofvisitornumbersintheweeksthatfollow.Thesitesarenotsuitablefor largenumberofvisitors,andnor isalargeincreaseinvisitornumbersdesirable.ThereforeitisessentialthattheinitialinterestgeneratedbyasuccessfulnominationisabsorbedandcateredforinHail,inwaysthatwillencouragefuturevisitsandengagementwithrockart.T1:HailMuseumwillbe thecentre for the launchof theRockDrawingsofHailProvinceWorldHeritageSite.

PrepareatemporaryexhibitioneitherinHailMuseum(orelsewhereinthetransitiontothenewmuseum)inpreparation for the launchof theWorldHeritageSitenomination.PromotetheWHSnominationthrougheventsandac-tivities that will appeal to broad audience, as well asthrough conferences and scientific workshops.Promote the WHS nomination through similar eventsandactivitiesinJubbah.UsetheWHSnominationasakeythemeforpromotingHailin2014(1435H).

Linkedto: PresentationandinterpretationpoliciesT2:Longertermtourismstrategiesfortheprovincewillpo-sition the WHS as a significant asset for Hail Province.

ActivelypromoteHailMuseumasagatewaytotherockartsitesandtheculturalheritageofHailProvince.Developlinkstootherculturalheritagesitesbeyondtheprovinceindevelopingtourismitinerariesandthematicclusters.

Linkedto: Visitormanagementpolicies

7.7.2 TourisminfrastructureThedevelopmentoftourismactivitybeyondHailCityin

particular will require strengthening of tourism infrastruc-ture and facilities, including rest stops and overnight ac-commodation provision. Several of the rock sites acrosstheprovinceare inareas thataresimplynotsuitable for

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•


the development of tourism infrastructure.Almost all areinareaswheresuchdevelopmentswillneedtobetreatedwithcareandaremorelikelytobeofthelowimpact,eco-tourism, village tourism or Bedouin encampment varietyrecommendedintheHailProvinceTourismDevelopmentPlan.T3:Tourismdevelopmentprojectsinproximitytotherockart sites will be sensitive to the significance of the sites and theirnaturalsetting.

Work in close collaboration with local municipalities,planningdepartmentsandpotentialinvestorstoensurethatproposalsfortourismprojectsaredesignedtobesensitivetothesitesandtheirnaturalsurroundings,fol-lowingsimilardesignprinciplesandguidelinesasrec-ommendedforthebufferzones.Establishways inwhichproposednew transportationlinkscanbeconnectedtoculturalheritagesiteswherethisisdesirable.

Linkedto: Landscape,settingandcontextpolicies

7.8 Implementation and review policiesThese policies relate to the implementation of the

managementplan,themanagementstructuresthatwillbeput inplace todoso,andannualmonitoringand reviewprocedures.

Agree final version of the action plan with all stakehold-ers identified as responsible organisations and part-nersReview theManagementPlanonanannual basis tomonitorprogressandmakeanyadjustmentsthatmaybenecessaryasaresultofchangingcircumstancesAt the end of five years, review and revise the Manage-mentPlan,updateasnecessaryandissueanewAc-tion Plan to cover the next five year period.

8 Action Plan 8.1 Implementing management policies

The table on the following pages identifies responsi-bilitiesforundertakingeachofthemanagementstrategies

•

•

•

•

•

identified in the previous section, the timeframe in which the action should be implemented, financing and relation-ship to the management objectives identified in this plan (Section6).

8.1.1 ImplementationandkeyplayersResponsibility for the implementation of the manage-

ment plan lies with the SCTA and its regional office in Hail Province.TheSCTA,underitsDirectorateforWorldHerit-ageSites,mayestablishaspecialentitywithresponsibilitytomanagetheWorldHeritageSite.

The full implementation of the management plan willonlybepossiblewiththeparticipationofvariousotherkeyplayers and partners. These have been identified during the consultation process and are indicated in theActionPlan.

8.1.4 UrgencyActions emerging from the policies will be classified as

being:Essential to the fulfilment of the management objectives andmost likely requiring immediateaction,withnegativeimpacts resulting from a failure to fulfil the task.Necessary to the fulfilment of the management objectives, butnotofimmediateurgency,andpossiblydependentonthecompletionofotheractions.Desirable, not essential to the fulfilment of the management objectives,butwillenhanceandstrengthenthedeliveryofthestrategy.

8.1.3 TimeframeThetimeframeforimplementationisnotedas:Shortterm 1-5yearsMediumterm upto10yearsLongterm 10+years

Theactionplanwill largelyfocusonactionstobeun-dertaken within the first five years of the realisation of the managementplan,althoughanumberofactionswillhavelongertermimplicationsforthedevelopmentofandfuturesustainablemanagementofthesites.

Themanagementplanwillbecomeoperationalin2014,enablinganumberofactionstobecompletedpriortotheWHSinscriptionoftheproperties.


8.2 Action planLandscape,contextandsettingpolicies

Ref Policy Responsibleorganisation Partners Urgency Timeperiod

L1The site zones recommended as core zones for the World Heritage nomination will be fully protected

L1.1 Thefencingwillbeextendedtoincludesitebounda-riesasrecommendedfortheWHSnomination. SCTA Essential Year1

L1.2Anyfurtherdevelopmentswithinthebufferzoneboundary will be restricted and confirm to a masterp-lanforthesite.

SCTA Essential Year1

L2Areas of archaeological and potential archaeo-logicalsignificancewillbeestablishedandincluded in the buffer zone.

L2.1

Existingsurveyinformationwillbeusedtoidentifyareas of archaeological significance and potential archaeological significance and determination of the bufferzoneboundaries.

SCTA Essential Complete

L2.2

Commissionsurveystoidentifyareasofarchaeologi-cal significance and potential archaeological signifi-canceforareaswherethisinformationdoesnotexistandmightimpactonthebufferzones.

SCTA Necessary Year1-2

L2.4 Communicatelocationofbufferzonetolandownersandlocalplanningauthorities.

SCTAwithlocalmunicipalities

GovernoratesofJubbahandAl

GhazalahEssential Year1

L3 Keyviewsoftherockartsitesandsignificantviews from the sites will be protected.

L3.1

Undertakeviewshedstudiestodetermineviewsofthesitesfromkeyvantagepoints,toincludeland-scapefeaturesandlandformationsthatcontributetotheunderstandingandstudyofthesites.

SCTA Necessary Year3

L4The collective value of rock art sites and their landscape settings in Hail Province will be recog-nised as a cultural landscape.

L4.1 Continueprovince-widestudiestomaprockartsiteswithintheirarchaeologicalandlandscapecontext. SCTA Mediumterm

L4.2Continueraisingawarenesswithlocalstakehold-ers on the significance and value of this cultural landscape.

SCTAinHailLocalmunicipali-tiesandgoverno-

rates

Short-Me-diumterm

Land-useplanningpolicies


P1

Building and infrastructure developments taking placewithintheidentifiedviewshadowswillnot unduly impact on the setting and landscape values of the sites.

P1.1 Ensureviewshedslinkedtothesitesareincorpo-ratedontolocaldevelopmentplans.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Necessary Year1-2

P1.2Stipulateguidelines(heightandvolume)fordevelop-mentsundertakenwithinviewshedzonesthatfalloutsideofthebufferzones.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Essential Year1



P1.3Discourageanyurban/municipallightingprojectsthatcouldnegativelyimpactonthesettingandap-preciationofthesites.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Necessary Years1-5

P1.4 Upholdpolicyrestrictingnighttimelightingofthesites.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Desirable Years1-5

P2

Where the buffer zone extends into an existing settlement as at Jubbah, all development within this zone and in close proximity to its boundarywill conform to strict design guidelines.

P2.1

ReviewthemasterplanforJubbahtoensureneces-sarydevelopmentcontrolsareinplaceforzonesfallingwithinthebufferzone,thatareofpotentialarchaeological significance and that impact on the settingofJabalUmmSinmanandlinkedrockartsites.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Essential Year1

P2.2

WorkwiththeMunicipalityofJubbahanditsplan-ningauthoritytoestablishdesignandheightguide-linesforanyinfrastructureandbuildingconstructionworkbeingundertakenwithinthebufferzoneoronitsimmediateboundaries.

SCTAinHail MunicipalityofJubbah Necessary Years1-2

P2.3 Communicatetheseguidelinestoownersoflandborderingthebufferzones.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTAinHail Necessary Years1-2

P2.4

ContinuearrangementsthatrequireallconstructionworkswithinthebufferzoneorontheedgeofittoobtainpermissionfromtheSCTAorabodyap-pointedbytheSCTAtooverseethemanagementoftheWorldHeritageSite.

SCTA MunicipalityofJubbah Necessary Year2

P3

Where the buffer zone is open land, any pro-posed structures within this zone will conform to strict guidelines in terms of design, materials and impact.

P3.1

Establishdesignguidelinesforsuchareasthatstipulatelowrisesmallimprintstructuresthatareecologicallysoundusinglocallyavailablematerialsandfollowtraditionalnormsofbuilding.


P3.2Liaisewiththerelevantinfrastructureagenciestoavoidlocationofpavedroadsandotherinfrastruc-turepassingthroughthebufferzone.

SCTA Necessary Astheneedarises

P4 Any development work within a buffer zone will be preceded by archaeological investigations.

P4.1

Coordinatewithlocalplanningandnationalinfra-structureagenciestoensurepriornoticeisgivenofplanneddevelopmentswithinthebufferzonesandensureallarchaeologicalinvestigationsareunder-taken by suitably qualified teams.

SCTA MunicipalityofJubbah Essential Astheneed

arises

P5

All major structures, paved surfaces and serv-ices will be restricted to the periphery of the sites’ buffer zone and conform to established design guidelines.

P5.1

Establishdesignguidelinesforthesiteperipherythatstipulatelowrisesmallimprintstructuresthatareecologicallysound,uselocallyavailablematerialsandarereversible.


P5.2 Ensurethatmainsservices(waterandelectricity)arelimitedtoserviceareasatthesiteentrance. SCTA SCTAinHail Essential Year2



P6

Only structures of a temporary nature, which are fully reversible and are in the interest of protect-ing the sites’ outstanding universal value will be permitted within the site boundaries.

P6.1

Commission the design of international standardraised walkways that will ensure the rock art andassociatedarchaeological depositsareprotected inthebestpossibleway.

SCTA Essential Priortoinscription

P6.2Commissionthedesignoftemporaryshadestructuresthatcouldbeplacedontheagreedvisitorrouteatthesites.


P7 Vehiculartrafficwillnotbepermittedwithinthesite boundaries.

P7.1 Carparkswillbeplacedoutsidethebufferzones. SCTA Necessary Year1

P7.2

Forareaswhereahigherlevelofvisitationisexpecteddevelopdesignsforalowimpactconsolidatedsurfacethatissuitableforpedestriantraffic, carts and emergency vehicles.


Archaeology,researchandconservationpolicies


A1A province-wide ‘rock art’ database has been establishedtoshareallscientificinformationpertaining to rock art sites in the province.

A1.1InpartnershipwiththeteamscurrentlyworkingatthesitesdevelopandhostaGISlinkeddatabaseofinformation and finds.

SCTASaudiand

internationalUniversities

Essential Year3

A1.2

MaintainhardandelectroniccopiesofallreportsandpublicationsrelatingtotherockartsitesinHailProvinceandinSaudiArabiaintheSCTAResourceCentre.

SCTAResourceCentre Desirable Year2

A2Archaeological excavations at the sites in part-nership with Saudi Universities and international institutions will continue.

A2.1Promoteandsupportongoingarchaeologicalinvestigationsatrockartsitesandareassurroundingthem.

SCTA HailUniversity DesirableYears1-5Medium

term

A3Secure and suitable storage facilities for ar-chaeologicalmaterialandfindsthatresultfromexcavations will be established.

A3.1Agreelocation(outsideofthebufferzones)thatissafeaswellaseasilyaccessibleforstorageofarchaeologicalmaterials.

SCTA

SCTAinHail(Directorof

AntiquitiesandtheRegional

Museum)

Necessary Year1

A3.2

Designstoragefacilitiesinconsultationwiththearchaeologicalteamsandtointernationallyacceptedstandardsandconditionsforthestorageofdifferenttypesofmaterial.

SCTA

SCTAinHailSaudiand

internationalUni-versitypartners

Necessary Year2

A3.4Ensure stores are accessible for scientific research purposesandmaterialsthatarestoredarelinkedtothedatabase.

SCTA

SCTAinHailSaudiand

InternationalUni-versitypartners

NecessaryYears3-5Medium

term



A4A state-of-the-art research centre for Rock Art Studies will be established in partnership with Hail University.

A4.1 WorkwithHailUniversitytoestablishacentreforRockArtStudieslinkedtotheirarchaeologydepartment.

SCTA&HailUniversity Essential Years3-4

A4.2 Establishlinkswithinternationalpartnerinstitutionstosupportandfacilitatethefoundingofthecentre. HailUniversity InternationalUni-

versitypartners Desirable Years4-5

A4.3Through the centre train and develop local scientific andtechnicalexpertiseintheconservationofrockart.

SCTA&HailUniversity

InternationalUni-versitypartners Necessary Medium

term

A5

The rock art will continue to be protected in accordance with Royal Decree No. M/26 through existing measures, considered visitor access, management and regular monitoring.

A5.1Workwithlocalguardstoregularlymonitortheconditionofthesitesandmaintainthefencingsur-roundingthem.

SCTAinHail Essential Shortterm

A5.2 Linktheconditionoftherockarttothedatabaseandmonitorthroughregularconditionsurveys. SCTA HailUniversity Necessary Medium

term

A5.3Establishthemaximumnumberofvisitorspergrouptothevarioussitesthatwillnotcausedamagetoorendangertherockart.

SCTA Siteguardsandguides Essential Year1

A6Measures to improve protection and safeguard-ing of areas of known and potential archaeologi-calsignificancewillbeimplemented

A6.1

ThebufferzonesfortheJubbahandShuwaymissiteswillincludeareasofknownarchaeologicaldeposits and areas identified as having archaeologi-calpotential.

SCTA

SCTAinHailSaudiand

InternationalUni-versitypartners

Necessary

Completed

Mediumterm

A6.2Ensureareasofarchaeologicalevidencewithinthebufferzones,includingbasesedimentandrockfacesarenotimpactedonbyvisitation.


A6.3 Throughsurveysestablishsimilarzonesorareasconnectedtorockartsitesintheprovince.

SCTAinHailHailUniversity SCTA Desirable Medium/

longterm

A6.4 AllnewlydesignatedareaswillbesafeguardedinaccordancewithRoyalDecreeNo.M/26. SCTA Essential Longterm

A7 A monitoring program as per the WHS nomina-tion (6.a) will be established and implemented.

A7.1

Establishacomprehensivemonitoringsystemofkeyindicatorsmeasuringthestateofconservationofthesites,especiallyoftheeffectsofincreasedvisitationandnaturaldeterioration.

SCTALocaland

internationalinsti-tutionalpartners

Essential Priortoinscription

A7.2SelectpermanentmonitoringstationsatbothsitesinaccordancewiththeWHSnominationdocumentSection6.a.

SCTA&SCTAHailbranch Essential Year1

A7.3 EnsureallmonitoringdataisloggedwiththeSCTAandstoredsafely. SCTA Essential Year1


Visitormanagementpolicies


V1Hail Museum will be developed with major exhib-its to become the ‘gateway’ to the World Heritage Site and rock art in the province.

V1.1EvaluateexistingplansforthenewmuseuminHailtodeterminewaysinwhichtherockartdisplayscanbeenhancedandenlarged.

SCTA(MuseumsDirectorate)&SCTAinHail(Directorof

AntiquitiesandtheRegionalMu-

seum)

Museumdesign-ers Essential Year1

V1.2

Engagemuseumdesignerstodevelopstate-oftheartandinteractivedisplaysthattellthestoryofrockartinHailProvinceandSaudiArabiainwaysthatwillappealtoapredominantlyfamilyaudience.



seum)

Museumdesign-ersandinterpre-tationconsultants

Necessary Years2-3

V2 A visitor complex within the heart of Jubbah town will act as the main hub for visitors.

V2.1

WorkwiththeMunicipalityofJubbahtoidentifyasuitablelocationforavisitorcomplexthatisincloseproximitytootherculturalheritageattractionsinJubbah.

SCTA(MuseumsDirectorate),SCTAinHail(DirectorofAntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseum)andMunicipalityof

Jubbah

Localownersandlocalprivate

museumDesireable Year1

V2.2CommissiondesignsforalowimpactvisitorcomplexthatisbuiltinaccordancewiththedesignguidelinesasrecommendedinP2.



seum)

Desireable Year1

V2.3Facilitiesinthisoff-sitevisitorcomplexshouldincludewelcome,ticketingpoint,interpretationanddisplays,restandfoodanddrinkfacilities.



seum)

Desireable Year2

V2.4 Placeroadsignagethatclearlydirectvisitorstothevisitorcomplexasthepointofentrytothesite.

MunicipalityofJubbah Desireable Within2

years

V3Visits to Jabal Umm Sinman will be by appoint-ment (timed tickets) and by guided tours in small groups only.

V3.1Identifyareasofrockartthatarereasonablyeasytoaccessandarenotahealthandsafetyhazardtoguidedgroupvisits.

SCTA&SCTAinHail(Directorof


seum)




V3.2

Developavisitorrouteforthegroupstofollowthatisinthebestinterestoftheprotectionoftherockartandassociatedarchaeologicalmaterialwithminimalimpactsforaccess.



seum)


V3.3

Establishpathsand/orraisedwalkwaysthatwillnotimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that willpreventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpanelsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdevelopingrockartsitesforvisitation(asP6).



seum)

Rockartexperts Essential Priortoinscription

V3.4

Developtheexistingvisitorcentreattheentrancetothesiteasagatheringandintroductionpointfor groups, with toilets, drinking water and first aid equipment.



seum)

Essential Year1

V3.5 Monitortheimpactofvisitorstothesite,healthandsafetyconsiderationsandenjoymentofthevisit. SCTAinHail SCTA Essential Years1-5

V4

A locally managed small rest point/visitor recep-tion close to Jabal al-Manjor and Jabal Raat, at the end of the metalled road and immediately outside the buffer zone, will provide services to researchers working at the site and visitors.

V4.1

Commissiondesignsforasmallrestpoint/visitorreceptionthatisbuiltinaccordancewiththedesignguidelinesasrecommendedinP3,asaclusteroflowrisesmallimprintstructuresthatareecologicallysoundusinglocallyavailablematerialsandfollowtraditionalnormsofbuilding.



seum)

Museumdesign-ers Necessary Year1/2

V4.2Facilitiesinthelocallymanagedvisitorreceptionwillincludeasmalldisplay,toilets,restandpicnicfacili-ties, as well as first aid equipment.



seum)

Museumdesign-ers Necessary Years2-3

V5Visits to Jabal al-Manjor and Jabal Raat will be by appointment/ permit under the control of the SCTA and only in small guided groups.

V5.1Visitstothesiteswillbeinsmallgroupsledbyalocalguide,startingfromthevisitorreception/restpoint.

SCTA&SCTAinHail

Localguidesandguardians Essential Years1-5

V5.2Identifyareasofrockartthatarereasonablyeasytoaccessandarenotahealthandsafetyhazardtoguidedgroupvisits.



seum)


V5.3

Developavisitorrouteforthegroupstofollowthatisinthebestinterestoftheprotectionoftherockartandassociatedarchaeologicalmaterialwithminimalimpactsforaccess.



seum)


V5.4

Establishpathsand/orraisedwalkwaysthatwillnotimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that willpreventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpanelsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdevelopingrockartsitesforvisitation(asP6).



seum)

Rockartexperts Essential Priortoinscription

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan�0


V5.5 Demandforvisitsandimpactsatthesiteswillbemonitored. SCTA Localguidesand

guardians Necessary Year1onwards

V6The opening up of smaller and accessible rock art sites to visitors will be considered where sen-sitive and sustainable interventions are possible.

V6.1

Assesssuitabilityofasitebasedoneasyacces-sibilityfromtransportationroutes,easyaccessibilityofrockartforviewing,safetyofterrainforvisitors,vulnerabilityandfragilityofrockart,possibilityofviewingaclusterofrockartthatwillmakeavisitmemorableandworthwhile.



seum)

Desirable Year3

V6.2Basedontheboundaryofthesite,andviewstoandfromthesite,establishasuitablelocationforasmallvisitorreceptionpoint.



seum)

Desirable Year4

V6.3

Commissiondesignsforasmallrestpoint/visitorreceptionthatisbuiltinaccordancewiththedesignguidelinesrecommendedforthebufferzone(P3),asalowrisesmallimprintortemporarystructurethatisecologicallysoundusinglocallyavailablematerialsandfollowstraditionalnormsofbuilding.



seum)

Museumdesign-ers Desirable Year4

V6.4Facilitiesinthelocallymanagedvisitorreceptionwillincludeasmalldisplay,toilets,restandpicnicfacilities.



seum)

Museumdesign-ers Desirable Year5

V6.5

Establishpathsand/orraisedwalkwaysthatwillnotimpact on the floor deposits or slope stability, that willpreventvisitorsfrommakingcontactwithrockartpanelsandconformfullywithinternationalbestpracticeofdevelopingrockartsitesforvisitation(asidentified in P6).



seum)

EssentialPriortoopen-ingupsiteto

visitation

V6.6Establishasystemoflocalguideswhowillleadthesmallgroupvisitstothesitestartingfromthevisitorreception/restpoint.

SCTAinHail Necessary Mediumterm

V6.6 Demandforvisitsandimpactsatthesiteswillbemonitored. SCTA Localguidesand

guardians Necessary Year3onwards

Presentationandinterpretationpolicies


I1

A province-wide rock art interpretation plan will form the framework for onsite interpretation and a coordinated approach to the key messages, as WHS nomination (5.i).

I1.1CommissionaninterpretationplanfortheproposedRockDrawingsofHailProvinceWorldHeritageSiteandotherrockartsitesacrosstheprovince.


I1.2Usetheinterpretationplantoinformthedevelop-mentofinterpretivematerialsatthemajorcentres,atthesitesandinothermedia.

SCTA

Interpretationconsultants&

museumdesign-ers

Necessary Year1on-wards



I1.3 Updatetheinterpretationplanonaregularbasistoincludenewinformationthatcomestolight. SCTA Desirable Mediumterm

I2State-of-the-art and engaging displays that will appeal to a broad non-specialist audience will position Hail Museum as a ‘gateway to the WHS’.

I2.1Workwiththemuseumdesignerstoseekthemosteffectivemeansthroughwhichtherockartstorycanbeconveyedtoaudiences.


AntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseum)

Museumdesign-ers&interpreta-tionconsultants

Essential Year2

I2.2 Considertheuseofgoodqualityreplicasforpartofthedisplay.



Museumdesign-ers Desirable Years3-4

I2.3WorkinpartnershipwiththeproposedRockArtRe-searchCentretodevelopdisplaysonthearchaeo-logicalprocessandongoingresearch.

SCTA(MuseumsDirectorate),SCTAinHail(DirectorofAntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseum)&HailUniversity

Museumdesign-ers Desirable Years4-5

I2.4Workwitheducationspecialiststobuildinprovisionforchildrenandschoolsgroups,includingdedicatedlearningenvironments.


AntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseum)&HailEducations

Department

Interpretationconsultants

andeducationspecialists

Desirable Years4-5

I3The visitor complex located in Jubbah town will convey the links between the rock art and life in the oasis.

I3.1

WorkwithmuseumdesignersandlocalpartnersinJubbahtodevelopdisplaysthatintroducetheJabalUmmSinmanrockartaswellasthedevelopmentoftheoasisfromprehistorytothepresentday.



MunicipalityofJubbahandlocalprivatemuseumandcollection

holders

Necessary Year1

I3.2 Developinterpretiveactivitiesthatwillappealtofamilieswithchildren.



Interpretationconsultants Necessary Years2-3

I3.3Promotetheprotectionandconservationoftradition-albuildingsandstreetmorphologysurroundingthevisitorcentreasanadditionalattractiontovisitors.

MunicipalityofJubbah SCTA Desirable Year3on-

wards

I4 Visitor reception points will provide information on each site and give an introduction to the visit.

I4.1Workwithdesignerstodevelopsimple,easytomaintainandrobustdisplaypanelsontheindividualsitesforindooruseinthereceptionpoints.



Interpretationconsultants Necessary Year2



I4.2

Developpodcastsorsimilarmobiletechnologiestoprovidemorein-depthinterpretationontherockartand other aspects (e.g. flora and fauna) of the sites. Theseshouldbelinkedtothedisplaypanelsandaccessedbyscanningacodeonthepanelswithamobilephone.



Interpretationconsultants Desirable Year3

I4.3Developashortvideotobeshownatthestartofagroupvisitthatconveysthingstobeawareandconsiderateofwhenvisitingthesites.



Interpretationconsultants Desirable Year4

I5 Local site guardians will be the main point of information and guides at the sites.

I5.1 Trainlocalguardstowelcomeandguidevisitorsaroundthesites. SCTAinHail Essential Year1

I6 Interpretation material and signage within the site boundaries will be kept to a minimum.

I6.1

Onlyessentialanddirectionalsignageshouldbeplacedatthesites.Thissignageshouldbeuniforminappearance,andsensitivetotheenvironmentandnaturalsettingofthesites.



Interpretationconsultants Necessary Year2

I6.2

Whererockartmaybevisiblefrombeyondthesiteboundaryaviewpointwithinterpretationpanelsmightbeconsideredontheboundaryfence.Suchinterpretationshouldbelowlevel,conformtothedesignguidelinesforstructureswithinthesiteboundaryandinnowayvisuallyimpactonthesiteanditssetting.


AntiquitiesandtheRegionalMuseum)&Municipalityof

Jubbah

Interpretationconsultants Desirable Year3-4

Educationpolicies


E1Through the proposed Centre for Rock Art Research and other initiatives the educational potential of the sites will be actively promoted.

E1.1

WorkinginpartnershipwithresearchandexcavationmissionsworkingattherockartsitesenableSaudistudentstoparticipateintheworkofthemissions(onsite,inresearchlaboratoriesandinmaterialconservation).

SCTA

HailUniversity,SaudiUniversi-tiesandinterna-tionalresearch

expeditions

Necessary Years1-5

E1.2SeekfundingforSaudischolarstoundertakePhDlevelstudiesorresearchatinternationalpartnerinstitutionsandcentresspecialisinginrockart.

SCTA,SaudiMinistryofHigher

Education

SaudiUniversi-ties Necessary Year2on-

wards

E1.3EstablishmeansthroughwhichSaudistudentscanbetrained in the most up-to-date scientific and technical methodsrequiredforrockartconservation.

SCTA Internationalresearchcentres Essential Year3on-

wards

E1.4

IntroducelecturesormodulesonrockartattheDepartmentsofArchaeologyinRiyadhandHail,includinginputfrominternationalexpertsworkinginSaudiArabia.

HailUniversity,SaudiUniversities

withArchaeol-ogydepartmentsandinternationalresearchexpedi-

tions

Desirable Year2on-wards



E2A strong educational component will be developed as part of the interpretation of the sites and rock art in Hail Province.

E2.1

AspartofthedevelopmentofHailMuseumappointaneducationspecialisttoworkwiththemuseumdesignerstodevelopdisplaysthataresuitableandattractivetovariousagegroups.



Necessary Year2

E2.2

Commissionfromaneducationspecialist,educationalmaterials,includingteacherguides,linkingtheexhibitionmaterialtotheSaudiMinistryofEducationcurriculum.



SCTAinHail&HailEducation

DepartmentDesirable Years3-4

E2.3 Train education officers to work in the Museum to liaisewithschoolsandguideschoolvisits.



SCTAinHail&HailEducation

DepartmentDesirable Year3

E3

A system of local rangers (guides/guards) developed in partnership with the local Bedouin communities living in close proximity to the sites, will form the core of site protection and visitor services offered at the site.

E3.1EstablishacentreinHailtocoordinatetheappointment,trainingandactivitiesoflocalsiterangers.

SCTAinHail Necessary Year2

E3.2

Provideadequatetrainingtoappointedrangers,includingtheimportanceofthesites,managingandprotectingtherockartandareasofarchaeologicalsignificance, leading and guiding visitor groups, and basic first aid.

SCTAinHail Necessary Year2

E3.3Monitor efficacy of training and organise regular refreshercoursesthatalsoallowrangerstosharetheirexperiences.

SCTAinHail Desirable Year3on-wards

E3.4 Rollouttherangerprogrammetootherrockartsitesintheprovince. SCTAinHail Desirable Year3-4

Tourismpolicies


T1Hail Museum will be the centre for the launch of the Rock Drawings of Hail Province World Heritage Site.

T1.1

PrepareatemporaryexhibitioneitherinHailMuseum(orelsewhereinthetransitiontothenewmuseum)inpreparationforthelaunchoftheWorldHeritageSitenomination.



Museum)

Exhibitiondesigners Essential Year1

T1.2PromotetheWHSnominationthrougheventsandactivitiesthatwillappealtobroadaudience,aswellas through conferences and scientific workshops.

SCTAWHSDi-rectorate&SCTA

inHail

Saudiandinternational

Universities,andIFRAO

Necessary Year1

T1.3 PromotetheWHSnominationthroughsimilareventsandactivitiesinJubbah.

SCTAinHail&Municipalityof

JubbahNecessary Year1



T1.4 UsetheWHSnominationasakeythemeforpromotingHailin2014(1435H).

SCTAinHail(Di-rectorofTourism)

Localtourismagencies Necessary Year1

T2Longer term tourism strategies for the province willpositiontheWHSasasignificantassetforHail Province.

T2.1ActivelypromoteHailMuseumasagatewaytotherockartsitesandtheculturalheritageofHailProvince.



Museum)

Necessary Year3on-wards

T2.2Developlinkstootherculturalheritagesitesbeyondtheprovinceindevelopingtourismitinerariesandthematicclusters.

SCTA&SCTAinHail

SCTAinMedi-nahProvince Desirable Mediumterm

T3Tourism development projects in proximity to the rockartsiteswillbesensitivetothesignificanceof the sites and their natural setting.

T3.1

Workinclosecollaborationwithlocalmunicipalities,planningdepartmentsandpotentialinvestorstoensurethatproposalsfortourismprojectsaredesignedtobesensitivetothesitesandtheirnaturalsurroundings,followingsimilardesignprinciplesandguidelinesasrecommendedforthebufferzones.

SCTAinHail

MunicipalitiesofJubbahandAl

Ghazalah

Tourisminvestorsanddevelopers

Essential Years1-5

T3.2Establishwaysinwhichproposednewtransportationlinkscanbeconnectedtoculturalheritagesiteswherethisisdesirable.

SCTA HighwaysDepartment? Necessary Mediumterm

Implementationpolicies

Ref PolicyResponsibleorganisation Partners Urgency Timeperiod

Imp1

Agree final version of the action plan with all stake-holders identified as responsible organisations and partners

SCTAWHSDirec-torate All Essential

Priortoinscription

Imp2

ReviewtheManagementPlanonanannualbasistomonitorprogressandmakeanyadjustmentsthatmaybenecessaryasaresultofchangingcircum-stances

SCTAWHSDirec-torate Essential Annually

Imp

At the end of five years, review and revise the Man-agementPlan,updateasnecessaryandissueanewAction Plan to cover the next five year period.

SCTAWHSDirec-torate Necessary Year5

Peredo(2013)

RockDrawingsintheHailRegion,TheKingdomofSaudiAra-bia–draftnominationdocument(DrMajeedKhan)

RoyalDecreeNo.M/26dated23/06/1392H(1972),withupdates.

All academic sources relating to the history and archaeology of the sites are listed in the Reference Bibliography in Appendix 1.

Sources consulted for the Management Plan

HailProvinceTourismDevelopmentPlan(2004)

HailCityTourismDevelopmentPlan(2005)

OperationalGuidelinesoftheWorldHeritageConvention,UNESCO(2013)

ReportoftheICOMOSAdvisoryMission,MrRobertoOntanon-


AL-SHAHRI,A.A. 1991. Recent epigraphic discoveries inDhofar.Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies21:173–191.

ALTHEEB,S.1999.Thamudic inscriptions from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.KingFahadNationalLibrary(inArabic).

ANATI,E.1963.Palestine before the Hebrews.AlfredA.Knopf,NewYork.

ANATIA.1968.Rock art in central Arabia, Vol. 1. The ‘oval-headed people of Arabia’.BibliothèqueduMuséon,Vol.30, InstitutOrientaliste/InstituutvoorOriëntalistiek,Louvain/Leuven.

ANATI,A.1972.Rock art in central Arabia, Vol. 3. Corpus of the rock engravings, Parts I and II.InstitutOrientaliste,Louvain.

ANATI,A. 1974. Rock art in central Arabia, Vol. 4. Corpus of the rock engravings, Parts III and IV. Institut Orientaliste,Louvain.

ANATI,E.1996.HarKarkom.Bollettino del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici29:13–48.

ARZ,W.H.,F. LAMY, J.PÄTZOLD,P. J.MÜLLERandM.A.PRINS 2003. Mediterranean moisture source for an early-Holocene humid period in the northern Red Sea. Science 300:118–121.

BEDNARIK,R.G.1998.Thetechnologyofofpetroglyphs.Rock Art Research15(1):23–35.

BEDNARIK,R.G.2007.Rockartscience:thescientificstudyofpalaeoart.AryanInternationalBooks,NewDelhi.

BEDNARIK, R. G. 2009. Experimental colorimetric analysis ofpetroglyphs.Rock Art Research26(1):55–64.

BEDNARIK,R.G.andM.KHAN2002.TheSaudiArabianrockartmissionofNovember2001.Atlal17:75–99.

BEDNARIK,R.G.andM.KHAN 2005. Scientific studies of Saudi Arabianrockart.Rock Art Research22(1):49–81.

BEDNARIK,R.G.andM.KHAN2009.TherockartofsouthernArabiareconsidered.Adumatu Journal20:7–20.

BETTS,A.V.G.1998.The Harra and the Hamad. Excavations and surveys in eastern Jordan, Vol. 1. Sheffield Archaeological Monographs 9, Sheffield.

ČERVíČEK,P.1986.Rock pictures of Upper Egypt and Nubia.Supplemento 46 fasc1., Istituto Universitario Orientali,Napoli.

CLARKE,C.F.1975.The rockartofOman.Journal of Oman Studies1:3–14.

CRASSARD,R.,M.PETRAGLIA,A.PARKERandA.ALSHAREKHin press. Southernmost distribution of pre-pottery Neolithiclithictechnology:aNeolithicincursionintotheNefudDesertof northernArabia. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.

DOUGHTY. C. M. 1888.Travels inArabia Deserta. RandomHouse,NewYork.

ENGELS, M., H. BRÜCKNER,A. PINT, K. WELLBROCK,A.GINAU, P. VOSS, M. GROTTKER, N. KLASEN and P.FRENZEL2012.TheearlyHolocenehumidperiodinNWSaudiArabia — sediments, microfossils and palaeohydrologicalmodelling.Quaternary International 266:131–141.

FACEY, W. 1987. The boat carvings at Jabal al-Jussaiyah,

northeastQatar.Seminar for Arabian Studies 17:199–219.GARRARD,A. and C. P. D. HARVEY 1977. Environment and

settlement during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene atJubbahintheGreatNafud,northArabia.Atlal5:137–156.

GARRARD,A., C. P. D. HARVEY and V. R. SWITSUR 1981.Environment and settlement during the Upper PleistoceneandHoloceneatJubbaintheGreatNefud,northernArabia.Atlal5:137–148.

GHASRIAN,S.M.2007.Sangestoon:anewrockartsiteincentralIran.Rock Art Research24(1):59–64.

GORING-MORRIS,A. N. 1998. Mobiliary art from the LateEpipalaeolithicoftheNegev,Israel.Rock Art Research15(2):81–88.

GROUCUTT,H.S.andM.D.PETRAGLIA2012.TheprehistoryoftheArabianPeninsula:deserts,dispersals,anddemography.Evolutionary Anthropology21:113–125.

HUBER,C.1899.Incriptions Racueils Dan’sl L’Arabie Centrale.Paris.

HUYGE,D.,A.WATCHMAN,M.DEDAPPERandE.MARCHI2001.DatingEgypt’soldest‘art’:AMS14Cagedeterminationsof rock varnishes covering petroglyphs at El-Hosh (UpperEgypt).Antiquity75:68–72.

INGRAHAM, M., T. JOHANSON, B. RIHANI and I. SHATLA1981.Preliminaryreportonareconnaissancesurveyofthenorthwesternprovince(withanoteonabriefsurveyofthenorthernprovince).Atlal5:59–80.

JÄCKLI,R.1980.RockartinOman:anintroductorypresentation.Bulletin of the Historical Association of Oman5:31–33.

JENNINGS,R.P.,C.SHIPTON,A.AL-OMARI,A.M.ALSHAREKH,R.CRASSARD,H.GROUCUTTandM.D.PETRAGLIA2013.Rockart landscapesbeside theJubbahpalaeolake,SaudiArabia.Antiquity87:666–683.

JENNINGS, R.,A. PARTON, H. S. GROUCUTT, L. CLARK-BALZAN,P.BREEZE,N.A.DRAKE,A.ALSHAREKHandM.D.PETRAGLIAinpress. LateprehistoricrockartlandscapesatShuwaymis,SaudiArabia.

JONGBLOED,M.1994.PetroglyphsinWadiAshwani,Fujairah.Tribulus4(2):24.

JUDD, T. 2007. Presumed cattle petroglyphs in the EasternDesertofEgypt:precursorsofclassicalEgyptianart?Rock Art Research24(1):65–78.

JUNG,M.1991.BronzeAgerockpicturesinnorthYemen.East and West41:44–78.

JUNG,M.1994.AmapofsouthernYemenrockartwithnotesonsomeofthesubjectsdepicted.Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies24:135–155.

KAUFMAN, D. 1999.A unique engraved object from theEpipalaeolithicofIsrael.Rock Art Research16(2):109–112.

KHAN,M. 1985.RockArtandEpigraphicSurveyofnorthwesternSaudiArabia.Atlal9:14–28.

KHAN,M. 1988a.RockArtandEpigraphicSurveyofnorthernSaudiArabia.Atlal11:61–75.

KHAN, M. 1990b. The problem of inter-regional cultural/iconographiccontactsinprehistory.Atlal13:35–41.

Appendix 1: Reference Bibliography

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan��KHAN,M. 1991.Recentrockartandepigraphicinvestigationsin

SaudiArabia. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies,UniversityofLondon.

KHAN,M. 1993a.Prehistoric rock art of northern Saudi Arabia.PhDthesis,UniversityofSouthampton,U.K.,publishedbytheMinistryofEducation,DepartmentofAntiquitiesandMuseums,Riyadh,SaudiArabia(bilingualEnglish/Arabic).

KHAN, M. 1993b. Origin and evolution of ancient Arabian inscriptions(bilingualEnglish/Arabic).MinistryofEducation,KingdomofSaudiArabia.

KHAN, M. 1996. Rock art research in theArabian Peninsula,LevantandAnatolia.InP.BahnandA.Fossati(eds.),News of the world1,pp.95–103.OxbowPublications72,Oxford.

KHAN,M. 1998.AcriticalreviewofrockartstudiesinSaudiArabia. East and West 48(3–4):427–437.

KHAN,M. 2000a.Wusum — the tribal symbols of Saudi Arabia(bilingual English/Arabic). Ministry of Education, KingdomofSaudiArabiaon theoccasionof “Riyadh, theCapitalofArabianCulture2000”.

KHAN,M. 2000b. BirHimma—thecenterofprehistoricartandculture.Adumatu 6:37.

KHAN,M. 2005.Jubbah—themostprominentrockartsiteofSaudiArabia.Indo-Koko-Kenkyu 26:63–72.

KHAN,M. 2007.Rock art of Saudi across twelve thousand years. MinistryofEducation,Riyadh,SaudiArabia.

KHAN,M. 2008.Rock art studies (how to study rock art). MinistryofEducation,Riyadh.

KHAN,M. 2011. Jubbah, the land of golden sands and the lost civilization of Arabia. Saudi Commission forTourism andAntiquities,Riyadh.

LAHAFIAN,J.2004.PetroglyphsofKurdistan.Rock Art Research21(1):3–10.

LAHAFIAN, J. 2010. Cupules in Kurdistan rock art. Rock Art Research27(2):177–184.

LIRITZIS,I.,A.VAFIADOU,N.ZACHARIAS,G.S.POLYMERISandR.G.BEDNARIK2013.Advancesinsurfaceluminescencedating:newdatafromselectedmonuments.Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 13.

McCLURE,H.A.1976.RadiocarbonchronologyoflateQuaternarylakesintheArabiandesert.Nature263:755–756.

McCORRISTON, J. and L. MARTIN 2009. SouthernArabia’searlypastoralpopulationhistory:somerecentevidence. InM.D.PetragliaandJ.I.Rose(eds.),The evolution of human populations in Arabia, pp. 237–250. Springer Verlag, NewYork.

MASRY,A.H.1974.Prehistory in northeastern Arabia: the problem of interregional interaction.FieldResearchProjects,CoconutGrove,Miami,Florida

MELLAART,J.1975.The Neolithic of the Near East.ThamesandHudson,London.

MUSIL,A.1914.Arabie Petrea.Holder,Vienna.ONTANON-PEREDO,R.2013.ReportontheICOMOSadvisory

missiontotheproperty“RockArtintheregionofHail”,SaudiArabia,10–17April2013.

PARR,P.J.1977.Archaeological sources for the early history of north-west Arabia. Proceedings of the first international symposium,UniversityofRiyadh,Vol.1,Part1.

PARR, P. J. and J. E. DAYTON 1970. Preliminary survey inN.W.Arabia1960. Bulletin of the Institute of Archaeology9:193–242.

PARR, P. J., J. ZARINS, M. IBRAHIM, J. WAECHTER,A.GARRARD, C. CLARKE, M. BIDMEAD and H.AL-BADR1978.Preliminaryreportonthesecondphaseofthenorthernprovincesurvey1397/1977.Atlal 2:29–50.

PETRAGLIA,M.D.,A.M.ALSHAREKH,R.CRASSARD,N.A.DRAKE,H.GROUCUTT,A.G.PARKERandR.G.ROBERTS2011.MiddlePaleolithicoccupationonaMarineIsotopeStage5 lakeshore in theNefudDesert,SaudiArabia.Quaternary Science Reviews30:1555–1559.

PETRAGLIA,M.D.,A.ALSHAREKH,P.BREEZE,C.CLARKSONetal.2012.HominindispersalintotheNefudDesertandMiddlePalaeolithicsettlementalongtheJubbahpalaeolake,northernArabia.PLOS ONE7(11):e49840.

PETRAGLIA, M. andA.ALSHAREKH 2013. PalaeodesertsProject: 2013 fieldwork report. University of Oxford, UK – King SaudUniversity,SaudiArabia.

PHILBY,H.1952.Arabian highlands.CornellUniversityPress.PRESTON, K. 1976.An introduction to the anthropomorphic

content of the rock art of JebelAkhdar. Journal of Oman Studies 2:17–38.

REDFORD,S.andD.B.REDFORD 1989. Graffiti and petroglyphs oldandnewfromtheEasternDesert.Journal of the American Research Centre in Egypt 26:3–49.

REIMER,H.2009.PrehistoricrockartresearchintheWesternDesertofEgypt.Archéo-Nil19:31–46.

ROSENBERG, T. M., F. PREUSSER, D. FLEITMANN,A.SCHWALB, K. PENKMAN et al. 2011. Humid periods insouthernArabia:windowsofopportunityformodernhumandispersal.Geology39:1115–1118.

SCHULTZ,E.andJ.W.WHITNEY1986.UpperPleistoceneandHolocenelakesintheAnNafud,SaudiArabia.Hydrobiologia3:175–190.

THOMAS, H., D. GERAADS, D. JANJOU et al.1998. FirstPleistocene faunas from theArabian Peninsula:An NafudDesert,SaudiArabia.Comptes Rendus Academie Sciences326:145–152.

WEINSTEIN-EVRON,M.andA.BELFER-COHEN 1993. Natufian figurines from the new excavations of the el-Wad Cave, Mt Carmel,Israel.Rock Art Research10(2):102–106.

WINNET,F.V.andW.C.REED1979. Ancient records from north Arabia,1962 Expedition. Toronto.

WINKLER, H. 1938. Rock drawings of southern Upper Egypt,Vol.1.EES,London.

WINKLER,H.A.1952.TheoriginanddistributionofArabcamelbrands. Supplement of the Journal of American Oriental Research72(4):1–26.

ZARINS,J.1982.RockartofSaudiArabia.Archaeology 20:25.

Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan

Documents

Transcript of Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia - Management Plan