1 / 4Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have excavated kingdoms mentioned in Old Testament.2 / 4Al Ula, a flagship tourist destination since it opened in 2019, is known chiefly for the majestic tombs of Madain Saleh, a 2,000-year-old city carved into rocks by the Nabateans, the pre-Islamic Arab people who also built Petra in neighbouring Jordan.3 / 4A team of French and Saudi archaeologists is now focused on excavating five nearby sites related to the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilisations, important regional powers that flourished 2,000 years ago.4 / 4'It's a project that really tries to unlock the mysteries of (these) civilisations,' said Abdulrahman Al-Sohaibani, who is co-directing the Dadan archaeological mission. Dadan is mentioned in the Old Testament and the Lihyanite kingdom was one of the largest of its time, stretching from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north in modern-day Jordan, according to the Royal Commission for the project.