Ancient 7th-Century Mosque Found at Al-Ma'mala, Al-Baha

Archaeologists have concluded the fourth excavation season at the Al-Ma'mala site in Al-Baha Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia, on 13 September 2026, capping a season of scientific excavation and documentation carried out as part of national heritage preservation efforts tied to رؤية السعودية 2030 cultural goals.

The season's standout discovery was an ancient mosque dating to the 1st Hijri century (7th century CE), located in the western residential area of the site. Built of dressed granite stones, the mosque has a rectangular plan measuring roughly 10 by 16 metres and features a square minaret in the southeast, a mihrab, and three entrances on the east, west and south.

Traces of gypsum plaster survive on the interior walls, while Islamic inscriptions — including Qur'anic verses and supplications — are preserved on the qibla wall and an exterior wall. The mosque is attached to eight service rooms and surrounded by stone rooms that served social and commercial purposes, with storerooms, basins and supporting piers reflecting the local building styles of the early Islamic period.

The team also documented a range of artefacts illustrating daily life and craftsmanship at Al-Ma'mala, among them soapstone vessels, diverse pottery, finely worked stone tools such as grinders and pestles, and parts of rotary querns. Earlier seasons, up to the third completed in 2024–2025, uncovered granite walls with mudbrick and plaster, two complete residential complexes, storage spaces, hearths, a clay oven, and hundreds of pottery, glass, stone and metal objects — evidence of a prosperous commercial and industrial centre more than a thousand years old.

Al-Ma'mala lies in Al-Aqiq Governorate and is classified as an archaeological heritage site rather than a public paid attraction. As of mid-September 2026, there are no officially announced entry fees, ticket prices or set visiting hours for general tourism, with access to the site managed directly by the Heritage Commission and local authorities as part of a specialised scientific mission.

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