How difficult would it be to ascertain the value of art, inscribed on stones that span 10,000 years of history? Or of an 11-km long wall surrounding the ancient city of Tayma with a history stretching back to 1200 BCE? Even to attempt such an exercise would be juvenile. A task not only formidable but simply impossible to accomplish. For it is heritage; it is a legacy whose value cannot be measured. It is a wealth that Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam and the land of the two Holy Mosques, has in plenty, just like oil. Antiquities discovered in the Kingdom demonstrate that the Arabian Peninsula is one of the oldest areas of human settlement in the world. At least, 1.2 million years old if not...
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