[ti:Researchers Study Ancient Kingdoms in Saudi Arabia]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]In northwest Saudi Arabia, archaeologists are working
[00:05.04]to dig up the remains of the ancient
[00:08.56]and long-forgotten kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan.
[00:15.28]The remains of these kingdoms are in Al Ula,
[00:19.04]a place known mainly for the tombs of Madain Saleh,
[00:24.80]a 2,000-year-old city carved into rocks by the Nabateans.
[00:32.32]The Nabateans were a pre-Islamic Arab people
[00:36.60]who also built Petra in Jordan.
[00:41.36]A team of French and Saudi archaeologists
[00:45.44]is now digging at five nearby areas
[00:49.56]related to the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations.
[00:57.00]These were important powers some 2,000 years ago.
[01:03.68]Abdulrahman Al-Sohaibani
[01:06.80]co-leads the Dadan archaeological mission.
[01:11.44]He said, "It's a project that really tries
[01:15.68]to unlock the mysteries of these civilizations."
[01:20.56]In this case, unlock is a term that means
[01:24.52]to find out about something that was unknown.
[01:30.08]The Royal Commission for the project notes
[01:33.16]that Dadan appears in the Bible’s Old Testament.
[01:39.20]The Lihyanite kingdom was one of the largest of its time.
[01:45.00]It went from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north.
[01:51.44]Lasting nearly 900 years,
[01:54.64]the two kingdoms controlled important trade routes.
[01:58.88]But very little is known about them.
[02:03.56]The team is hoping to learn more
[02:06.60]about their religion, social life and economy.
[02:12.24]Jerome Rohmer is a researcher
[02:15.12]with the French National Center for Scientific Research.
[02:20.56]Rohmer noted that previous digs had been limited
[02:25.08]to a smaller area around the tombs.
[02:29.60]He added that researchers would like to do
[02:33.12]a more complete study of the history of the area
[02:37.04]and "its material culture, its economy."
[02:43.12]In Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push
[02:46.56]to change Saudi Arabia's economy and society,
[02:51.24]Al-Ula has gained recognition.
[02:55.32]The kingdom is hoping for international visitors
[02:59.44]as it tries to open up to the world
[03:02.52]and diversify its economy away from oil.
[03:07.92]Al-Ula's development is part of a move
[03:11.20]to preserve pre-Islamic areas
[03:14.60]in order to draw in non-Muslim tourists
[03:18.88]and strengthen national identity.
[03:23.24]I’m Dorothy Gundy. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM