RIYADH — The Heritage Commission has launched the first phase of the Archaeological Excavation Project in Qassim Region, as part of its efforts to protect and preserve heritage and cultural sites around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from any potential threats. This comes in line with the directives of Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Heritage Commission, to resume archaeological surveys and excavations in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "Dariyah" was a renowned town in the pre-Islamic era and gained more fame and significance after the rise of Islam, for being a center for the largest sanctuaries in Arabia since the era of the second Caliph Umar Bin Al Khattab. The sanctuary was known as "Hima Dariyah", later becoming one of the biggest stations in the Basra Hajj route and among the most important pilgrim caravan stations. Dariyah was remarkably mentioned in various geographical, historical and literary publications. Through this project, which will include several other archaeological sites, the commission seeks to determine the historical sequence of the site and obtain physical evidence from which to identify monuments and artifacts, the level of civilizational prosperity experienced by the region and its relation to other sites. These efforts aim to highlight the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"s civilizational role in human civilization in general and in Islamic eras in particular. — SPA