
The recent discovery of an extended network of ramparts in the oasis of Khaybar in the Hijaz confirms the phenomenon of “walled oases” in northwestern Arabia (Charloux et al. 2021). This spectacular longue durée phenomenon sees the inhabitants of oases fortifying the settlement and cultivation areas over gigantic surfaces, mainly in the Bronze and Iron Ages. The objective of this conference will be to highlight this diachronic and regional phenomenon and to explain its role in the sedentarization process of the nomadic populations of North Arabia from the 4th to the 1st millennium BCE.