A 15-year-old Saudi girl has unwittingly uncovered several precious relics out in the countryside while shepherding her family’s sheep.

Wathbiya Al-Shahrani’s hobby of collecting brightly colored and unusual pieces of stone and pottery has now added to the Kingdom’s growing collection of artifacts from the country’s past.

The Asir girl started collecting stones in Al-Hawafier, east of Khamis Mushayt. She had no idea what she wanted to do with them. Over the past five years she collected 705 pieces.

Her siblings and relatives also started giving her various items when they noticed that she had a passion for collecting them. “I can’t remember a time when I haven’t taken a bag to collect these stones when taking the animals out to graze. I would be amazed by their bright colors. Some have more than one color,” Al-Shahrani said.

When she heard on the radio that the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) was looking for artifacts, she called the organization’s local office in Asir.

She said the SCTA requested 19 pieces that they considered archaeological finds, which they later restored. The other pieces were returned to her. “They’re mine and I feel they’re a part of me,” she told Arab News.

Al-Shahrani has now stopped shepherding and enrolled in a local secondary school. Even though she has moved away from the Bedouin lifestyle, she still practices her favorite hobby. “Whenever I’m out with my family in the fields, I look out for unique stones to collect,” she said.

Shayi’, Al-Shahrani’s brother, said the family was proud of her, for being able to appreciate nature while carrying out her difficult chores. She is also interested in learning about the history of these artifacts, he said.

Al-Shahrani has received a reward and letter of commendation from the SCTA. Saeed bin Ali Al-Qarni, head of the SCTA’s archaeological office, said the campaign to restore monuments was launched during the Janadriyah festival.

He said the campaign is aimed at creating awareness of the country’s heritage.

“We achieved our goal because the message was delivered to this Bedouin girl,” Al-Qarni said. He urged citizens to inform the SCTA if they find any archaeological pieces.

Mohamed Umrah, director general of the SCTA in Asir, praised Al-Shahrani for delivering the pieces to the authorities. “We hope more people join our call to save our heritage,” he said.