28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Saudi shipwreck excavation reveals hundreds of 18th-century artifacts on sunken ship in the north Red Sea

Divers from Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Authority have discovered a shipwreck in the Red Sea from the 18th century filled with hundreds of artifacts, just off the coast of Hall, in the Kingdom’s northwest.

Archaeologists believe indicate that the ship may have had a collision with coral reefs that led to the scattering of its parts and its contents being spread around.

According to a statement issued by the Saudi Heritage Commission, an archaeological mission led by five Saudi divers located the wreck of the sunken ship, and “the survey was documented by a set of three-dimensional photographs and the identification of the area containing these sunken antiquities.”

There are more than 50 shipwrecks along the Saudi coast.
A Saudi archaeological mission discovered hundreds of antique pieces that were part of a sunken ship in the Red Sea, about 300 meters from the coast of Haql (Northwest of Saudi Arabia). (SPA)

The pottery pieces, SPA reported, are from amphora manufactured in the Mediterranean basin. According to a statement by the commission, the evidence revealed that the ship’s voyage dated back to the late 18th century.

The commission is conducting surveys and excavations for submerged artifacts in the Red Sea in collaboration with foreign universities and research organizations. More than 50 sunken shipwreck sites were discovered around the Red Sea as a consequence of the survey effort, ranging in historical and archaeological importance and date.

The ship was found 300 metres off shore.
The ship was found 300 metres off shore.

Archaeologists from the University of Napoli found the largest and most complete wooden shipwreck in the Red Sea. It contained jars, porcelain, and spices, having sunk between 1725 and 1750 in Al Wajh lagoon. The team are still curating and cataloging the finds, which will be split between the Red Sea Museum in Jeddah and the Red Sea Project.

The ruins of a Roman shipwreck in the Red Sea were discovered by a combined Saudi-German team surveying underwater historical sites on the west coast from 2012 to 2017. It is the oldest archaeological shipwreck discovered along the Saudi coast thus far. In a place between Rabigh and Shuaiba, the crew also unearthed another wreckage from the early Islamic era.

Red Sea Project

Related Articles

3,500-Year-Old Hittite Linen Fabric Exhibited for the First Time

10 March 2025

10 March 2025

A remarkable artifact, a piece of Hittite linen fabric dating back 3,500 years, has been publicly exhibited for the first...

Archaeologists unearthed a pot of copper coins in first major discovery at Mohenjo Daro in Pakistan, in 93 years

18 November 2023

18 November 2023

A pot full of copper coins was discovered from a stupa (a dome-shaped building erected as a Buddhist shrine) at...

Sicily: Archaeologists make striking discovery in Segesta

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

Archaeological excavations in the Segesta Archaeological Park, investigating a “monumental edifice” near the portico at the end of the old...

A Big, Round, 4,000-Year-Old Stone Building Discovered on a Cretan Hilltop

12 June 2024

12 June 2024

During excavations for an airport on Greece’s largest island of Crete, a large circular monument dating back 4000 years was...

30 Graves Found in the Basilica-Planned Ancient City

4 April 2021

4 April 2021

Kibyra ancient city is situated south of Turkey, located in the town Gölhisar in the southwestern part of Burdur Province,...

How Evolutionary Biology Is Reshaping Our Understanding of the New Testament: The Case of the Missing ‘Son of God

5 August 2025

5 August 2025

In the remote wilderness of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a forgotten room revealed one of the most significant biblical manuscript discoveries...

Women buried with thick twisted bronze neck rings and buckets on their feet found in Ukraine

20 January 2024

20 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered the remains of men buried with weapons such as axes, spearheads, and swords, and women buried with thick...

Venice of the Pacific: The mysterious Micronesian ruins of Nan Madol

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

Sometimes art and architecture challenge our perceptions of what was formerly thought to be feasible and what our forefathers were...

Largest Headhunting Massacre of Women and Children in Neolithic China

12 November 2023

12 November 2023

A new study discovers that ancient headless skeletons discovered in mass graves in China are the remains of victims who...

700 Years After Dante’s Death, His Handwritten Notes Are Discovered

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, and scholar are best known for his masterwork La Commedia (also known as The Divine...

2,700-Year-Old Rare Bronze Knives from the Early Saka Period Unearthed in Kazakhstan

17 July 2025

17 July 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, researchers and students from Margulan University have unearthed two rare bronze knives dating back over...

Rare bronze hand discovered in Roman Vindolanda, England

11 July 2023

11 July 2023

One of Europe’s most important Roman archeological sites is the Fort of Vindolanda, one of the earliest Roman garrisons built...

Archaeologists unearths Unique Tomb of 6th Century BC Egyptian Commander at the archaeological area of ​​Abu Sir

24 July 2022

24 July 2022

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on July 15 that a team of Czech archaeologists, while excavating near the Giza...

Turkey to Present 12 Historic Artifacts to Istanbul Patriarch

10 August 2021

10 August 2021

The government said on Monday that Turkey will deliver stolen icons from ancient local churches to Istanbul’s Fener Greek Patriarch...

Archaeologists in Peru discover a mummy tied with 800-year-old ropes

28 November 2021

28 November 2021

On Peru’s central coast, archaeologists discovered a mummy estimated to be at least 800 years old. The mummy’s body was...