New archaeological discoveries at Dadan in AlUla have shed fresh light on a long-missing chapter of northwest Arabia’s history, revealing evidence of continuous settlement between the Nabataean era and the early Islamic period. A joint research team from the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) has published the findings in Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, documenting human activity in Wadi al-Qura from the 3rd to the 7th centuries CE for the first time. The period has long been considered a historical gap, with scholars traditionally assuming a decline in settled life across the region following the Nabataean era. The new evidence challenges that view. A settlement that endured for centuries The study draws on excavations carried out between 2021 and 2023 as part of the Dadan Archaeological Project, a collaboration between RCU, CNRS, and AFALULA. Archaeologists uncovered a substantial architectural complex dating to the late 3rd or early 4th century CE, which remained in continuous use until the first half of the 7th century CE. The site lies within the Dadan area, less than one kilometre south of the ancient city. The discovery represents the first integrated archaeological proof of sustained settlement in Wadi […]