12,000-Year-Old Animal Rock Art Discovered in Saudi Arabia

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Archaeologists have uncovered rock engravings in Saudi Arabia’s Nafud Desert dating back approximately 12,000 years, depicting life-sized animals.

These artifacts, dated between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, provide evidence of well-developed hunter-gatherer communities long before the emergence of the first cities in the region.

The discovery not only broadens understanding of the Arabian Peninsula’s prehistoric past but also offers new insights into the climate and ecological conditions of the era. What is now scorching desert and sand once featured green landscapes suitable for human habitation.

The engravings in the Nafud Desert serve as important proof that this region was inhabited during the Late Paleolithic period.