Archaeologists are stumped by two mysterious symbols that are still visible on the desert sands in Qatar.
The octagonal shapes, which are 7.5 miles by 17 miles in length, and were reportedly carved into the sands by tribal leaders some 7,000 years ago, are the oldest human symbols in the world, according to researchers.
“It is unique to find human symbols in such a location,” Julien Kahn, who studies ancient petroglyphs at the Old City Museum in Doha, told the Guardian. “These graves belong to people from the Zouaves clan [which occupied Doha for a period from 600 to 350BC].”
The discovery was announced Monday, at a meeting of the Qatar Archaeological Association.
Kahn told the Guardian that the two symbols are located at Ghoor village, and are believed to have been buried along with other graves of “Yofa” men during a local ritual ritual.
“The site of Qatari Arab history includes questions of race, politics, religion and religion,” Maishe Sewage, an archeologist and Qatari Arab University professor who has been leading the excavation, said in a statement. “Here, in an idyllic region between north and east Africa, we are finding another dimension to the story of the past.”