DUBAI: Saudi Arabia announced this week the discovery of a rare fossil that reveals the domestication of horses some 9,000 years ago, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) said in a press release. Prince Sultan bin Salman, the head of the SCTA, said that the new discovery shows that horses on the Arabian Peninsula were domesticated earlier than previously thought, which could shed light on the move toward larger tribes in the area. “These antiquities proved that [the] Al-Maqar site, in the heart of Saudi Arabia, was the oldest place in the world so far with people domesticated in horses, in addition these artifacts also manifested the cultural activities of people in the region during the Stone Age,” he said. Prince Sultan said the SCTA is continueing to excavate in various parts of the country. He also revealed plans to establish new museums in various parts of Saudi Arabia. “The results of the excavation show that taking care of horses has been an old tradition inherited by Muslims from their forefathers. There is no wonder that during the time of Prophet Mohammed and the Caliphs, special areas had been allocated for breeding and rearing horses,” the prince added. Also, Vice President of SCTA for antiquities and museums, Professor Ali Al-Ghabban, said the SCTA began excavations in al-Maqar after receiving information about the area from Saudi last year, adding that Saudi and international experts took part in the excavation. Al-Ghabban added that DNA and C-14 tests proved that the artifacts found during the excavation were 9,000 years old. He said the team had found 80 valuable artifacts from the area. Previous excavations showed people in Central Asia took care of horses 5,000 years ago. BM
