1,200 years ago, a medieval pilgrim may have buried a gold treasure on the way to Mecca. He never returned for it

A Saudi heritage team in Diriyah uncovered a ceramic jar packed with more than 100 gold and silver items, gemstones, semi-precious stones, and copper fragments.

Radiocarbon dating places the main settlement at the site between 743 and 753, pointing to an early Abbasid-era context.

Researchers think the hoard may have been buried by a pilgrim traveling to Mecca, though that remains unconfirmed.

The find offers new clues about early Islamic pilgrimage, trade, settlement life, and metalworking along the Basra-to-Mecca Hajj corridor.