Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have unearthed a clay pot full of gold, silver and gemstone-encrusted jewelry that may have been buried by an Islamic pilgrim en route to Mecca more than a millennium ago.
The team nicknamed the hoard the “Diriyah Treasure” after the archaeological site where it was discovered. Located on the outskirts of Riyadh, Diriyah was a key station on the Hajj route for Islamic pilgrims between Basra, Iraq, and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. According to archaeologists with the Saudi Heritage Commission who have been excavating Diriyah for six years, radiocarbon analysis of organic remains puts the main settlement in the period of 743 to 753.
