A workshop on applying nuclear technologies to preserve and study cultural heritage concluded today at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which organised it with the Heritage Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ten national entities took part, together with international experts and specialists.

Heritage Commission CEO Dr. Jasser Al-Harbash praised the partnership with KACST in using advanced technology, mapping and satellite imagery to survey the Kingdom's urban and archaeological heritage precisely. He said the commission has recorded more than 55,000 urban heritage buildings, 14,000 archaeological sites and thousands of artifacts.

Dr. Saeed Al-Shihri, KACST Vice President for the Energy and Industry Sector, said the city has built advanced national capabilities in nuclear science for heritage work, backed by 14 specialised laboratories and more than 100 Saudi researchers, engineers and technicians. The workshop, he explained, aims to link these capabilities with the heritage sector's needs and lay down a national pathway for setting priorities, shared methodologies, skills and reference databases, leading to a lasting ecosystem connecting science and heritage protection.

IAEA expert Dr. Assaad Seif put the value of illicit trade in cultural property across the Arab world at about $6 billion a year, which he said led to a project to recover and preserve antiquities through stronger partnerships with Arab and international bodies. Nuclear and physical techniques, together with protocols and policies, are now essential to protecting heritage, he added.

Panel discussions covered how nuclear technologies can scientifically confirm the authenticity and origin of heritage objects, the use of analytical methods to study artifacts, international experience and current practice in the Kingdom. A training programme at KACST's Academy 32 drew more than 50 participants, focusing on choosing the right analytical techniques, interpreting results and relating them to an object's archaeological and historical context.

The workshop forms part of a regional technical cooperation project against illicit trafficking in antiquities and works of art, which also seeks to build specialist skills and identify future uses of these technologies in the heritage sector.