A Recommendation to Establish a Special Archaeological Department in the University
The symposium of the monuments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia produced unanimous recommendations at the conclusion of its scientific sessions. The symposium was organized by King Khalid University and represented by the Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Center for Environmental and Tourism Research and Studies. It coincided with the First Convention of Antiquities in the Kingdom sponsored by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
The sessions of the symposium included four scientific papers presented by a number of specialists in the university. The papers were characterized by the diversity and richness of drawings and rock inscriptions in the Kingdom, as well as the valley "Aya" in the Aseer region as an archaeological and heritage site, in addition to the importance of archaeological scanning to identify the monuments in the region and tourism in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
In like manner, the Director of the Prince Sultan Center for Research and Environmental Studies and Tourism who is also the Deputy Director General of the symposium, Dr. Hussein Al-Wadai, observed that the closing session of the symposium produced numerous recommendations that will benefit the region in terms of preserving the monuments and supporting its untapped tourism fields.
Al-Wadai pointed out that the recommendations stressed the need to pay attention to the academic units concerned with archeology, including the establishment of a special department at King Khalid University, in addition to activating the role of the community in the interest of the monuments through an extensive media campaign to identify all of the historical monuments of the Asir region. Furthermore, the sessions recommended establishing an archaeological museum in the region named "The Monuments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Aseer region." Equally important, a wide-ranging proposal was initiated calling for an index of locations and development of archaeological nomenclature of all sites in the region. It is important to note that it was related that Offices of the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage in the most important provinces have to be launched at the outset of any endeavor mentioned above.
It is noteworthy that "The Monuments of Saudi Arabia" symposium was held at King Khalid University in collaboration with the Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Center for Environmental and Tourism Research and Studies at the University and the branch of the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage in the Aseer Region. An unmatched level of cooperation helped to seamlessly integrate statistical aspects of the event because the active players in the symposium have specialized data on tourism and archeology.
