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Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to improve the sustainability of the region by documenting traditional materials of Saudi Arabian villages using the Japanese archaeological concept "record preservation".

Paper long abstract:

Increasing social change and modernisation may soon force some Saudi Arabian villagers to switch back to traditional materials used in the past. We may soon have to rely on traditional technologies that do not depend on fossil fuels. However, the traditional tools, ornaments, and buildings are being lost, making it necessary to record these materials for the benefit of coming generations.

Japanese archaeology emphasises "record preservation", an action intended to conserve heritages semi-permanently through drawings, photographs, videos, and texts before they disappear in the backdrop of development and excavation. Record preservation requires the use of modern technology to develop accurate measurement scales and create three-dimensional images of structures. I have used this concept to document some of the traditional tools, ornaments, and buildings found in several villages in Wadi Fatima, western Saudi Arabia. Records of the same area collected 50 years ago by Motoko Katakura, a female Japanese anthropologist, are also available. Using both, I propose that we preserve traditional materials for the long term to improve local sustainability.