Jaussen & Savignac Programme

More than a century ago, Antonin Jaussen and Raphaël Savignac both Dominican priests of the École biblique de Jérusalem (now known as the École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem) traveled to Saudi Arabia with a scientific objective. During their journey, they discovered the sites of Hegra (Mada’in Saleh) and Dadan in the AlUla Oasis. 
Their surveys of the great Nabataean rock tombs, which are the region’s hallmark, remain extraordinarily relevant, even though since then, numerous archaeological missions have been carried out in Arabia and in the oasis.
In 2022, the 20th anniversary of archaeological collaboration between Saudi Arabia and France was celebrated. It was an opportunity to highlight the dynamic and strong French presence in Saudi Arabia, initiated by Professor Jean-Marie Dentzer and later followed by François Villeneuve. Both of them trained an entire generation of Saudi and French researchers who are now working on the exploration of a region that still has much to reveal.
In continuation of their work, an agreement was signed on February 21, 2024, between the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Royal Commission for AlUla for 5 years (2024-2029).
Dedicated to the development of archaeology and preventive conservation in the Arabian Peninsula, and more broadly extending to the Arab-Muslim world, this programme focuses on two main topics: research and training.

Six main themes structure the activities of the center and the collaboration between Saudi and French researchers, students, and academics, thereby ensuring a dynamic exchange of ideas and expertise:

• Environmental Heritage: Oasis Landscapes
• Conservation and Restoration in the Arabian Peninsula
• Archaeology 2030: Archaeology and New Technologies
• Arabian Peninsula: Cradle and melting pot of cultures and religions
• Arabian Peninsula:crossroads between the East, Africa and the Mediterranean
• Epistemology and Historiography of Archaeology and Conservation in the Eastern Regions.

Two other agreements have also been signed, since then, with Afalula (the French Agency for Al-Ula Development) for the funding of two research projects : the Hegra Archaeological Project (HAP) dedicated to archaeological researches and the Archaeozoological for AlUla Project focused on archaeozoological studies.