Professor Saad Abdulaziz Alrashid
King Faisal Prize in Islamic Studies 2025 Laureate
Topic: "Studies of Archaeology in the Arabian Peninsula"
Through collaborative efforts, our profound archaeological heritage is now reaching the world in its most magnificent form. These discoveries provide us with invaluable knowledge about the social, cultural, and economic life of civilizations that thrived in the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years.
Saad Alrashid was born in 1946. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1969 from King Saud University. He was granted a scholarship to the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom to study Islamic archaeology. During his academic journey, he conducted field studies in several Arab, Islamic, and European countries to collect information related to his field. He also undertook extensive expeditions along the historic pilgrimage route (Darb Zubayda) from Iraq to Mecca and Medina. Professor Alrashid presented a comprehensive research study titled: Darb Zubayda: The Pilgrimage Route from Kufa to Mecca: A Historical, Civilizational, and Archaeological Study, which earned him a Ph.D. in Islamic Archaeology from the University of Leeds in 1977.
Professor Alrashid worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at King Saud University and contributed to establishing the first Department of Archaeology in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Yemen in 1978. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1982 and later to Full Professor in 1992. He held several administrative positions at the university, including Vice Dean of the College of Arts, Dean of Library Affairs at King Saud University, Head of the Department of Library and Information Science, and Head of the Department of Archaeology and Museums. He also supervised archaeological excavations at the Islamic city of Al-Rabadha for 25 years. These excavations uncovered features of an early Islamic city associated with the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, extending into the early Abbasid era. Discoveries included architectural features such as the main mosque, the residential mosque, remnants of palaces and houses, water facilities, and a variety of artifacts. These findings provided insights into the characteristics of early Islamic cities in the Arabian Peninsula and served as a training ground for the first generation of Saudi archaeology students, who benefited from the hands-on experience to work in the Saudi Department of Antiquities. Professor Alrashid also led scientific and exploratory expeditions within and outside the Kingdom. He was appointed as Deputy for Antiquities and Museums at the Ministry of Education from 1996 to 2005 and later served as an advisor to the President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. The Ministry of Culture selected him as one of the curators for the Islamic Biennale.
Professor Alrashid has actively participated in numerous conferences, seminars, and scientific associations both within Saudi Arabia and internationally. He has authored many publications and scientific research articles featured in academic journals, as well as Arab and international encyclopedias. Among his notable works are Darb Zubayda: The Pilgrimage Route from Kufa to Mecca – A Historical, Civilizational, and Archaeological Study, Al-Rabadha: A Portrait of Early Islamic Civilization in Saudi Arabia, Unpublished Islamic Inscriptions from ‘Rawwa’ in Medina, Islamic Inscriptions from Mecca – Study and Analysis, Studies on Early Islamic Archaeology in Medina, Manuscript Inscriptions on Stone from the Asir Region: An Analytical and Comparative Study, and Al-Suwaidra (Formerly Known as Al-Tarf): Its Archaeology and Islamic Inscriptions. In addition, he published an English-language book titled Medieval Routes to Mecca: A Study of the Darb Zubayda Pilgrim Trail (revised by Peter Webb), (Gilgamesh Publishing/King Abdulaziz Public Library), 2020.
Professor Alrashid supervised several academic theses and was selected as a member of various councils, associations, advisory committees, and scientific bodies in his field of expertise. He received many awards, honors, and medals, including The King Khalid Medal (Third Class), The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Award for Excellence in Studies and Research on the History of the Arabian Peninsula, The King Abdulaziz Medal (First Class), The Amin Madani Prize for Research on the History of the Arabian Peninsula, and The Award of His Excellency Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Naim for Service to the History and Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula.
