Draft:Wasfy Pyramid
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| Wasfy Al Badi Pyramid | |
|---|---|
 Satellite view of the pyramid-like stone feature | |
 Interactive map of Wasfy Al Badi Pyramid | |
| 23°01′17″N 44°03′02″E / 23.021305°N 44.050456°E | |
| Type | Pyramid-like stone structure; possible cairn |
| Location | Near Al Badi', Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Visible in satellite imagery |
The Wasfy Al Badi Pyramid, also catalogued as the Wasfy Pyramid or Al Badi Pyramid, is the informal name given to a large pyramid-like stone formation near Al Badi' in central Saudi Arabia. The name "pyramid" refers to the apparent pyramidal or terraced form of the feature and does not represent an established archaeological classification.[1]
The Megalithic Portal lists the feature as a "Pyramid / Mastaba" and describes it as a pyramid-like structure approximately 120 by 120 metres in extent.[1] A separate entry for the same location classifies it as a cairn and describes it more cautiously as a possible pyramidal cairn.[2]
Location and setting
[edit]The feature is located at approximately 23°01′17″N 44°03′02″E / 23.021305°N 44.050456°E, near the settlement of Al Badi' and the town of Al Khasrah.[1] It lies within a wider concentration of stone monuments documented from satellite imagery in the surrounding desert.
A geospatial dataset deposited on Zenodo by Tarek Wasfy records more than one hundred stone features in the wider Al Badi area. The dataset describes the recorded features as including cairns, pendants and possible mustatil structures and notes that the concentration lies considerably farther south-east than many of the better-studied mustatil landscapes of north-western Arabia.[3]
Description
[edit]Satellite imagery shows a large approximately square feature with a visually prominent raised central formation. Its appearance from above and at oblique viewing angles has led to the descriptive use of the term "pyramid".[1][2]
The precise construction, internal structure and archaeological function of the feature have not been established by the sources cited here. Accordingly, terms such as "pyramid", "mastaba" and "cairn" should be understood as competing descriptive classifications rather than a confirmed identification.
Archaeological context
[edit]The surrounding landscape contains numerous stone monuments of different forms and potentially different periods.[3] An initial online description of the area proposed that many of these structures could represent a concentration of mustatils.[4]
This interpretation was subsequently questioned by archaeologist Hugh Thomas. In comments reproduced by the Megalithic Portal, Thomas stated that only one or two of the features he examined appeared to be mustatils, while many of the others appeared to be Bronze Age tombs. He also questioned whether the central pyramid-like feature should itself be regarded as a pyramid.[4]
This distinction is important because archaeological research on confirmed mustatils elsewhere in Saudi Arabia dates that monument type mainly to the Late Neolithic, particularly the sixth and fifth millennia BCE, and interprets excavated examples as ritual structures.[5] These dates apply to archaeologically investigated mustatils and do not by themselves establish the age of the Wasfy Al Badi Pyramid.
Documentation
[edit]The feature and the surrounding concentration of stone structures were publicly catalogued in 2026 through satellite-based mapping. The Wasfy Pyramid entry was added to the Megalithic Portal in May 2026, where the site was recorded at 23°01′17″N 44°03′02″E / 23.021305°N 44.050456°E.[1]
Wasfy subsequently deposited a geospatial dataset of the wider monument concentration on Zenodo, including KML, GPX, CSV and GeoJSON data for structures identified in the Al Badi region.[3]
Assessment by Hugh Thomas
[edit]The initial interpretation of the site as a mustatil complex and of the central feature as a possible pyramid was questioned by archaeologist Hugh Thomas. After examining the available imagery, Thomas commented: “Not a mustatil complex- so to speak. One or two are mustatil, the bulk of the ones I just checked are Bronze Age tombs. Don’t think that’s a pyramid, sorry.”[6] His statement indicates that the term “pyramid” should be understood as a descriptive name for the feature’s apparent pyramidal f
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Wasfy Pyramid, Saudi Arabia". The Megalithic Portal. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Al Badi Pyramid Cairn, Saudi Arabia". The Megalithic Portal. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Wasfy, Tarek (13 May 2026). "Wasfy Mustatils Complex, Mustatils of Al Badi, Knetsch Pendants, Pendants, Wasfy Pendants". Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.20157963. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Al Badi Mustatils Complex Stone Circle, Saudi Arabia". The Megalithic Portal. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, Hugh; Kennedy, Melissa A.; Dalton, Matthew; McMahon, Jane; Boyer, David; Repper, Rebecca (2021). "The mustatils: cult and monumentality in Neolithic north-western Arabia". Antiquity. 95 (381): 605–626. doi:10.15184/aqy.2021.51.
- ↑ Hugh Thomas (17 May 2026). "Comment on the Al Badi structures". X. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
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