Saudi Archaeology - a contradiction in terms?
According to Muslim mythology, the period before Mohammed began to prophecy was the time of "Ignorance". Women had no rights, the people worshipped idols, life was nasty, brutish and short, the tribes were disunited and Qureish, along with some other wealthy clans, ruled everything. Then Gabriel spoke to Mohammed on Mount Hira and things began to change. Women got rights, idols were destroyed, life became happy and fulfilled, the tribes were united and conquered the world, and the clan of Qureish ruled everything.
It is difficult to tell the extent to which this myth reflects reality. It is all too easy to believe that the tribes were disunited, because they still are, despite the influence of Islam. It is less easy to believe that women had no rights, for the prophet's ?first wife, Khadijah, appears to have been a very successful business woman, something for which she would be stoned or shot by some of the prophet's modern followers. People may well have worshipped idols, but at least some of the tribes worshipped nothing more offensive than a shapeless block of stone, which in any case was taken over by Islam to become the centre of its holiest shrine.
What is certain is that the present Saudi religious authorities are desperately afraid of finding out.
Some years ago I was on a flight to Bahrain and found myself seated next to a European who told me of the recent discovery of a Christian monastery in eastern Saudi Arabia. The scandalised mullahs had ordered the ruins covered up immediately - they weren't having any hint that the pre-Islamic tribes were anything other than ignorant savages. If you dig around a bit, you can find that the discovery was made twenty years ago and the remains are still fenced off, visitors are prohibited and the Saudi Authorities will not release any information about it at all - not even the exact location!
In a recent interview Sheikh Mohammed al-Nujaimi, a well-known Saudi cleric, declared, "They [pre-Islamic ruins] should be left in the ground. Any ruins belonging to non-Muslims should not be touched. Leave them in place, the way they have been for thousands of years."
In one sense that is probably a very good idea. Wahabbi Islam, the sect espoused by the House of Saud, is a bigotted, fanatical brand of Islam and any discoveries would run a very real risk of being vandalised or even destroyed by Saudi Muslims - the Buddhas of Bamian spring to mind. On the other hand, it is unfortunate, to say the least, that a modern people should prefer Ignorance to knowledge.
That is why I have mixed feelings when I hear that Sultan bin-Salman of the Saudi royal family has been appointed as Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and has authorised American, French and Saudi archaeological expeditions to uncover some of the peninsula's rich heritage. It is estimated that there are at least 4,000 recorded archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia, the majority of which date to before the rise of Islam. Excavations might uncover new information about the incense trade that passed through Arabia, about the sophisticated culture which undoubtedly existed before Mohammed, or even - delving back into pre-history - clarify the belief held by many anthropologists that early man spread from Africa via the Arabian peninsula. (If true, it would argue that early man was intelligent and sophisticated enough to build boats capable of crossing the Red Sea!)
The negative side is the high possibility, not to say probility, that whatever is discovered will be destroyed as soon as bin-Salman passes off the scene, either through death or through a change of government policy. Some mad mullah will gather a horde of foaming fanatics around him and in the name of cleansing the land of infidel influences, will blow up ancient ruins and museum displays to remove their polluting presence from holy Arabia. Even now locals frequently oppose excavations in their areas, fearful that they might become known as "Christian" or "Jewish", and even Islamic remains have been destroyed by religious fanatics who interpret the interest of visitors as "worship"!
In the meantime Sultan bin-Salman has opened the fantastic ruins of Maidan Saleh to tourism after decades when only oil workers willing to risk official disapproval ventured there. Now Dhaifallah Altalhi, head of the research committee of the Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, has conducted excavations there and has uncovered an important Latin dedicatory inscription honouring Marcus Aurelius, indicating that Roman influence extended much further into Arabia than had hitherto been suspected. (Maidan Saleh is 450 miles south of Petra.)
However while the government hopes that tourists will flock to the fantastic rock-cut tombs of Maidan Saleh, Saudis themselves risk a fatwa if they visit, for Muslim tradition claims that the city was destroyed by God because of the wickedness of its inhabitants! Still, the number of Saudis tempted to transgress is likely to remain small. Archaeologists are forbidden to announce their discoveries to the press - though they are permitted to publish in appropriate journals - and the media in Saudi Arabia sedulously ignore any results of excavations.
On a grimly humorous note, the Riyadh Archaeological Museum lists a number of female nudes in its catalogue of statuary that has been discovered in the area, but the visitor will find none on display and the storeroom is always locked and the keyholder mysteriously absent if he tries to investigate. What the sour-faced Wahabbis would say if they ever discovered that an early caliph decorated his Jericho palace with female nudes is unthinkable - and probably unprintable!
fanatical brand of Islam Ever since ibn Saud took over from the house of Hashem, the Saudis have been attempting to export their fundamentalist views. Glubb Pasha, in his autobiography, writes of mobilising the Arab Legion of Jordan to repel the Ikhwan, bands of Wahabbi fanatics who would raid Beduin encampments, kill all the men and male children - even snatching babies from their mothers' arms to determine the sex before murdering or sparing accordingly.
Such fanaticism is the more unfortunate because the prophet himself appears to have been an urbane and gentle man and his early followers were ragged but tolerant. Even today the majority of Muslims are not at all fanatical, respect other religions and cultures, and live at peace with their neighbours, whatever the neighbours' religion. Return
Sultan bin-Salman An interesting character, bin-Salman was the first Saudi to venture into space, being awarded a place on the shuttle Discovery in 1985. It is tempting to wax sarcastic and say that the discovery that the world is not flat changed his attitude, but so far as I know, flat-earthism is not a part of Islam, even Wahabbi Islam, and if the flight did bring about any change in the Saudi prince it is likely to have been a more nebulous one, similar to the experience of the first American astronauts who realised just how small and fragile is our planet.
Speaking seriously, we applaud the prince's attempt to bring enlightenment to his country and sincerely hope that his efforts will bear fruit. On the other hand, clerics like al-Nujaimi are depressingly common and wield far too much influence over their compatriots. "How can crosses be displayed when Islam doesn't recognize that Christ was crucified?" he demanded when confronted with the possibility that pre-Islamic remains might find a place in a Saudi museum. "If we display them, it's as if we recognise the crucifixion!" Return
© Kendall K. Down 2009
