The Red Sea contains shipwrecks and archaeological artifacts that have remained underwater for hundreds of years, serving as evidence of ancient maritime trade routes and the movement of pilgrims and travelers. This maritime corridor historically linked the Arabian Peninsula with Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean.
According to SPA, submerged cultural heritage is defined as evidence of human presence of a historical, archaeological, or cultural nature that has been fully or partially submerged for at least 100 years. This includes structures, sites, shipwrecks, and their contents.
Saudi Arabia ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in 2015. The Kingdom has conducted several underwater archaeological surveys over recent decades to document these finds.
Joint surveys between Saudi Arabia and Germany’s Philipps-Universität Marburg began in 2012 along the coast between Al-Shuaiba and Rabigh. These efforts led to the discovery of shipwreck remains from the early Islamic period and the Roman period. Additionally, joint surveys with the University of Naples “L’Orientale” from Italy took place in 2015 and 2016 at the Al-Wajh shipwreck site.
What constitutes submerged cultural heritage in the Red Sea? Submerged cultural heritage is defined as evidence of human presence that is archaeological, historical, or cultural in nature. To meet this definition, the evidence, which includes structures, sites, shipwrecks, and their contents, must have remained fully or partially underwater for a minimum of 100 years.
Which international agreement does Saudi Arabia follow to protect underwater heritage? Saudi Arabia joined the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The Kingdom deposited its instrument of ratification for this convention in 2015 to ensure the preservation of these cultural components for future generations.
What have recent underwater surveys discovered along the Saudi coast? Surveys conducted between 2012 and subsequent seasons along the coast from Rabigh to Al-Shuaiba discovered shipwreck remains from different historical eras. These findings include a shipwreck associated with the Roman period and another dating back to the early Islamic period.