When I was a young boy, my grandmother used to enchant me with an old fairytale about a mystic tree that can bring good fortunes to people; and has magical powers to heal the sick and grant wishes to the needy. When I grow up, I discovered there is no such a thing; and also discovered that a minority of people do believe that historic and religious monuments hold this kind of magical powers. And because of these ill-informed few, antiquity sites and landmarks in Saudi Arabia are continuously being neglected or destroyed.
I was reminded of that fairytale when reading about the recent episode of closure of one of the known historical sites in the holy city of Madinah. Visitors to the Cave of Mount Uhud, were surprised to see solid concrete closing the entrance to the cave. It is an important landmark because it was believed to be a place of refuge for Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) during the battle of Uhud in 625 AD.
Speculation was that this is the work of the General Presidency for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, who are famous for performing similar operations, to prevent Muslims from sanctifying historical sites, and inadvertently committing the sin of polytheism. However, an official spokesman from their side denied knowing anything about that particular matter.
When no party declared their accountability, it was time to hear from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, who should be responsible for the protection of all historical heritage sites in Saudi Arabia. However, a spokesman for the Commission denied any responsibility or authority on the matter. They claim that the site was never registered with the Commission due to controversy between researchers and scholars on the historical facts of the cave.
Among hundreds of known historical sites scattered throughout the vast lands of Saudi Arabia, only two landmarks were registered with the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first is the widely known site of Mada’in Saleh, the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans. The second is At-Turaif District in Ad-Dir’iyah, the first capital of the Saudi Dynasty, in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula.
Unfortunately, there is a wide gap between the potential of a strong antiquity industry in Saudi Arabia and the scarce efforts presented by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. With the fast rate of construction development in some cities, it is estimated that over 300 antiquity sites have already been destroyed.
The rich and diversified historical landmarks in the Kingdom could represent a great opportunity to show our new generation and the whole world a deeper and more meaningful deep-rooted civilization.

— msalsaif@hotmail.com
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