Saudi-Chinese exploration team at Al-Serrian

A photo taken on March 31, 2018 shows a Saudi man standing at the entrance of a tomb at Madain Saleh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, near Saudi Arabia's northwestern town of al-Ula. (AFP)

• The project at Al-Serrian is considered one of the new scientific projects
• A Saudi team from the SCTH which found pottery fragments of Chinese porcelain in addition to mineral ruins dating back to the first centuries of Hijra

RIYADH: Archaeological exploration works being carried out by a joint Saudi-Chinese team at Al-Serrian site in Al-Qunfudah province were inspected recently by the Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom Li Huaxin, accompanied by Dr. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, director general of the Center for Research and Archaeological Studies at the SCTH.
The project includes archaeological specialists in sunken monuments from both sides. A number of archaeological works will be carried out, including a wide range of advanced techniques and field surveys over the next five years, as well as the sounding of submerged ruins in the water adjacent to the archaeological site.
The project at Al-Serrian is considered one of the new scientific projects being carried out in cooperation with the Chinese Center for Underwater Heritage, whereas 31 international and local missions are working in various regions.
Excavations at the site started last year through a Saudi team from the SCTH which found pottery fragments of Chinese porcelain in addition to mineral ruins dating back to successive Islamic periods from the first centuries of Hijra.