An ancient shrine estimated as almost 9,000 year old was discovered by a team of archeologist in a Neolithic campsite located in the eastern desert of Jordan. The shrine is some sort of ritual complex near the so-called desert kites, which are ancient hunting traps that made use of two long stone walls that meet and function like a huge arrow.

According to experts, the traps were meant for game animals like gazelles. Many of the desert kites have been discovered in Central and Southwest Asia but the oldest of these structures are presumed to be in Jordan’s Badia region.

Two stone walls standing in the shrine were etched with carvings of human entities, an altar, sea shells, a hearth, and a small model of the desert kite trap. According to the archaeologists from Al Hussein Bin Talal University and the French Institute of the Near East, the shrine helped explain new information about the unknown Neolithic populations.

Particularly in relation to their own symbolism, spiritual culture and artistic expression. The archaeologists’ discovery proposes that the traps they found were the core of the Neolithic population’s economic, symbolic, and cultural life in the marginal zone.

About The Site in Jordan’s Dessert Region

Archaeologist from Jordan and co-director of the project Wael Abu-Azziza told Associated press that the site is unique due to its well-preserved state. Abu-Azziza added it’s amazing that everything remained intact even if it is around 9,000 years old.

The desert region of the country is filled with many archeological digs and has been the home of Bedouin tribes for thousands of years. The levantine country houses five UNESCO World Heritage sites and one of the well-known sites is the city of Petra which was carved into the red sandstone rock during the 4th century by the Nabateans. In 2016, archaeologists discovered a large monument that is around 2,000 years old under the city’s sands.