Al-Natah

Al-Natah is an archaeological site dating to the Bronze Age, in the Khaybar Oasis (Medinah Province, Saudi Arabia) on the road between Mecca and Aqaba.

Al-Natah

Location	Khaybar Oasis
Region	Medina Province, Saudi Arabia
Type	walled oasis town
Area	1.5 hectares (3.7 acres)
History
Founded	2400 BCE
Abandoned	1500 BCE
Site notes
Discovered	2024
Excavation dates	2024
Archaeologists	Guillaume Charloux

History

The town covered about 1.5 hectares with some 500 residents, protected by ramparts. The occupation dates from around 2400 to 1500 BCE, from the late Early Bronze Age to the early Late Bronze Age. The site may represent "low urbanization", a transitional stage between mobile pastoralism and complex urban settlements.

Early Bronze

In the Early Bronze IIIB, the site was occuped from around 2400 BCE.

Middle Bronze

In the Middle Bronze (c. 2000-1550 BCE), the city was a walled oasis.

Late Bronze

In the Late Bronze I, the occupation came to an end around 1500 BCE.

Excavations

The excavation is conducted by a CNRS team led by Guillaume Charloux.