Khor kharfot research project (2022 & 2023): Wadi sayq, dhofar, sultanate of oman

Beginning in the spring of 2014, the Archeological Research Institute (ARI) has been involved in archaeological investigations in the Khor Kharfot Archaeological Reserve of Dhofar, Oman. A three-year excavation contract was signed with Sultan Qaboos’s advisory council in 2015. In 2022 the excavation permit was granted a five-year renewal with the Omani Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. This article summarizes the efforts of Campaigns 6 and 7 during 2022 and 2023 to expand an appreciation of Wadi Sayq’s ancient environment and its early Paleolithic through Islamic period occupations and extensive architecture. This summary of Campaigns 6 and 7 excavations contains ARI’s recent discoveries at five separate loci: site II-4 (Neolithic and Iron Age occupation site), site IV-1 (Neolithic Kharfot Mound Site), site IV-3 (Neolithic-Iron Age-Islamic Period Alcove Site), site IV-4 (Neolithic Upper Platform), and site IV-5 (Neolithic Walkway).