The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) is fencing all archaeological sites and itemizing all movable and immovable objects in a national register to prevent demolition, sabotage or theft.

Abdullah Al-Sawat, executive director of the SCTA in Makkah, said the measures have been taken to preserve the country’s history. “The SCTA is in the process of protecting all archaeological and heritage sites with fences,” he was quoted as saying to local media. The SCTA was also working with other government bodies to punish those who steal historical items or damage these sites, he added.

The Makkah authorities are also monitoring the sites to see if any encroachments are taking place. “Several such encroachments have been removed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince Abdullah’s Project to reconstruct “Ain Zubaida” has suffered many setbacks over the past 10 years including the loss of items between 700 and 1,200 years old.

Commenting on encroachments, Omar Abu Raziz, general supervisor of reconstruction at Ain Zubaida, said: “Construction companies demolished water canals knowing their historical value.”