BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Fortifying Arabia

Urbanization in ancient Arabia mirrored Canaan

3D reconstruction of the Late Iron Age walled oasis of Dumat al-Jandal, Arabia. © Dumat al-Jandal Archaeological Project; figure by M. Bussy & G. Charloux. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10125.

Although the urbanization of Canaan in the Early Bronze Age (c. 3300–2000 BCE) has long been established in scholarship, recent excavations in Saudi Arabia have demonstrated that a similar process was occurring throughout northwestern Arabia. Publishing in the journal Antiquity, a pair of archaeologists presented a synthesis of years of excavation work in the area, identifying a network of well-fortified oasis settlements that may have continued a broader trend toward walled towns and cities that had begun farther north in the land of Canaan.

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A Complex Desert Society

Despite the vast desert expanse that covers much of North Arabia, the region has long been inhabited by complex societies, including the Nabateans, whose kingdom included the famous cities of Petra and Hegra. However, the discovery of numerous walled oases in northwestern Saudi Arabia (the Hijaz) has shown that this was true far earlier than previously thought.

Preliminary chronology and geographic distribution of the Walled Oasis Complex in north-west Arabia figure by G. Charloux. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10125.

With several dating back to the third millennium BCE, these walled oases consisted of massive defensive structures that encompassed settlements, water sources, fields, and grazing areas. One walled oasis, at the site of Khaybar, included walls that stretched 9 miles and stood 16 feet tall. While these walls served as a defense against marauding desert nomads, they also protected agricultural lands from erosion and floodwater. Moreover, they likely served as a powerful display of local power and authority.

So far, six large walled oases have been identified in northwest Saudi Arabia, including at the important archaeological sites of Tayma and Qurayyah. Several smaller walled oases have also been identified, and more are still awaiting further study. According to the study’s authors, the phenomenon of walled oases likely originated at Tayma and Qurayyah in the early third millennium, around the same time that a similar urbanization process was occurring to the north in Canaan. By the late third millennium, this phenomenon then spread south to the region of Harrat Khaybar, north of Medina.

These walled oases would later play a role in the development of the important North Arabian caravan kingdoms of the Iron Age (c. 1200–550 BCE), especially Dadan and Lihyan, and many retained their importance to the region’s social and economic development through modern times.

Related reading in Bible History Daily

The Apostle Paul in Arabia

Bronze Age Fortifications Discovered in Northwest Arabia

Neolithic Homes Uncovered in Saudi Arabia

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Jesus in Arabia: Tracing the Spread of Christianity into the Desert

Jews of Arabia: Ancient Inscriptions Reveal Jewish Diaspora

Arabia or Africa: Where Is the Land of Sheba?