RIYADH — The old crude oil pipeline Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline) has become the first industrial heritage site to be officially registered with Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Authority, Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan announced on Tuesday. Tapline’s inclusion in the National Industrial Heritage Register is in appreciation of its historical importance and its developmental and economic connotations associated with the early phase of the oil industry. Prince Badr extended his thanks to Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman and Saudi Aramco for their quick response as they immediately halted the work on removing Tapline to enable the Heritage Authority to study and document it after the authority was tasked with carrying out a study of the site and its registration. The authority prepared the initial registration card for the Tapline as the first industrial heritage site among the industrial sites that were counted in various regions of Saudi Arabia, in preparation for its maintenance and preservation due to its cultural importance, and for its investment within the cultural landmarks, to tell the story of industry, growth and economic development in Saudi Arabia. It is noteworthy that the Tapline oil pipeline is one of the most important industrial heritage landmarks in Saudi Arabia, and that extends from the east to the north of the Kingdom. Its construction began in 1948 following an order from modern Saudi Arabia’s founder King Abdulaziz for transporting oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Lebanese Mediterranean coast. The pipeline began operations in 1950. It largely ceased functioning in the early 1980s and completely stopped operating in 1990. The remnants of the pipeline still bear witness to the Kingdom’s burgeoning oil industry.