Archaeologists excavating the ancient site of Diriyah in Saudi Arabia's Al-Qassim region have made one of the most dazzling discoveries in recent Middle Eastern archaeology: a ceramic jar packed with over 100 pieces of gold, silver, and gemstone-encrusted jewellery buried more than 1,200 years ago. Dubbed the "Diriyah Treasure" by the Saudi Heritage Commission team that found it, the hoard dates to the early Abbasid period and was discovered along what was once a busy medieval Hajj pilgrimage route connecting Basra in southern Iraq to Mecca on Saudi Arabia's west coast. Researchers believe the collection may have belonged to a pilgrim who buried it at a settlement stop along the route, though exactly who owned it, and why it was never retrieved, remains one of archaeology's most intriguing new mysteries.
Diriyah gold hoard discovery: What was found inside the ceramic jar
