Weather of Arabia - A group of archaeologists announced the discovery of about 400 mysterious stone structures in Saudi Arabia dating back thousands of years, along with a few wall-like formations.
The stone walls, which archaeologists called the "gates", were found in groups in an area located in the western center of the kingdom, called Harrat Khaybar.
It is reported that the scientists involved in the research are not sure of the purpose behind the existence of these gates, or even their exact age.
The researchers found that a number of the gates, discovered via satellite imagery, are located alongside a basalt dome left over from the lava.
David Kennedy, a professor at the University of Western Australia, said the gates are made of stone and appear to be the oldest man-made structures within the landscape.
The height of the smallest gate is about 13 meters, while the length of the largest one is 518 meters, and most of them are rectangular in shape.
Kennedy added that thousands of years ago, the landscape was more suitable for human life. Other types of stone structures have also been discovered in lava fields.
Most of the gates were discovered through satellite images, as no field research was conducted on them. Volcanologists said basaltic lava had previously covered some stone structures, including the gates.
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