In force Last amended 12/8/1442 AH
Saudi Antiquities Law
نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني
Governs the protection of antiquities, historical sites, urban heritage and museums in Saudi Arabia. It covers state ownership of antiquities, excavation, trade in antiquities and penalties for violations.
- Articles
- 94
- In force
- 94
- Amended
- 11
- Issued
- 9/1/1436 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م / 3) بتاريخ 9 / 1 / 1436
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Antiquities Law by topic
Definitions and General Provisions of the Antiquities Law4 articlesState Ownership of Antiquities5 articlesExpropriating Archaeological Sites and Compensation5 articlesProtecting Archaeological Sites from Encroachment9 articlesRegistering and Classifying Antiquities7 articlesDiscovering and Reporting Antiquities4 articlesUnderwater Antiquities3 articlesArchaeological Survey and Excavation5 articlesPossessing and Trading Antiquities15 articlesUrban Heritage and Its Protection Zone15 articlesInvesting in Archaeological Sites and the Antiquities Fund6 articlesMuseums and Their Licensing19 articlesAntiquities Offenses and Penalties13 articlesRecording Antiquities Violations and Confiscation14 articles
Articles of the Saudi Antiquities Law
- Article 1This article defines the terms of the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage, including fixed and movable antiquities, urban heritage, museum, excavation and classification.
- Article 2All fixed and movable antiquities in the Kingdom and its maritime areas are public property of the State except for stated exceptions, and the owner of a movable antiquity must present it to the Commission for registration within two years of the Law taking effect.
- Article 3The article allows the Commission, under the procedures of the Law of Expropriation of Real Estate for Public Benefit, to acquire or temporarily take possession of archaeological and heritage sites, historic buildings, and those adjoining registered fixed antiquities.
- Article 4Where needed, the Commission, in coordination with the competent authorities, may vacate archaeological sites of their occupants for fair compensation under the expropriation law, and may leave sites at the disposal of their owners or beneficiaries under the regulations.
- Article 5Owning or using land does not give its owner or user freedom to dispose of or excavate the antiquities on or under it; what is found becomes State property, and the Commission may relinquish fixed antiquities in the land where necessary after documenting them.
- Article 6The article prohibits encroaching on, altering, damaging or defacing archaeological and urban heritage sites in any way, and bars placing signs and advertising on them without the Commission's approval.
- Article 7The Commission decides what is an antiquity or urban heritage and what must be registered, and registration means the State recognizes the antiquity's importance and preserves, maintains and displays it.
- Article 8The Commission keeps an antiquities register covering fixed and movable antiquities, historic sites and folk heritage sites and pieces, and the President may cancel registration in whole or in part.
- Article 9The Authority sets antiquities and urban heritage sites in coordination with the relevant bodies; they must be preserved in city plans, and building or restoration permits next to them are issued only in agreement with the Authority.
- Article 10Grant and distribution decisions may not be applied to archaeological and urban heritage sites agreed upon with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, and the ministries coordinate with the Commission when preparing grant and agricultural plans.
- Article 11Dangerous facilities may not be built near fixed antiquities except with the Commission's approval, and the regulations set the controls for this.
- Article 121- على كل من وزارة الزراعة ووزارة النقل التنسيق مع الهيئة عند إعداد دراسات المشروعات الحقلية. 2 - على وزارة البترول والثروة المعدنية…
- Article 13The Commission coordinates with the Ministry of Interior and the related authorities to set a mechanism ensuring the protection of archaeological and urban heritage sites.
- Article 14The Authority, in coordination with the relevant bodies, sets the rules for investing in antiquities and urban heritage sites.
- Article 15Auctions for selling movable antiquities and folk heritage pieces may not be organized except under a license from the Commission.
- Article 16The Commission, in coordination with the competent authorities, works to recover national antiquities and helps return foreign antiquities smuggled from and to the Kingdom, under the relevant international agreements.
- Article 17The Council may accept the transfer to the Authority of ownership of archaeological, historical, folk heritage and urban heritage sites by gift, purchase at a nominal price, or placing them at the Authority's disposal.
- Article 18The article requires whoever owns or controls a registered antiquity or urban heritage site to preserve it, requires a Commission license to invest in or operate it, obliges the investor to maintain it, and allows a charge for visits.
- Article 19Anyone occupying an archaeological, historical, folk heritage or urban heritage site must allow the Authority's competent employees to enter in order to view and study it in accordance with statutory procedures.
- Article 20The article creates the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Fund to spend on protecting antiquities, building museums and supporting the private sector, and sets its resources from revenues, compensation and donations.
- Article 21The Commission, under existing laws, encourages the creation of associations specialized in antiquities, heritage and museums, and these associations may benefit from the support of the Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Fund.
- Article 22Making changes in archaeological and urban heritage sites, using their rubble, or taking soil, stones or any other material from them is not permitted except with the Commission's approval and under its supervision.
- Article 23Anyone who discovers a fixed or movable antiquity, or knows of its discovery, must notify the Commission or the nearest government authority immediately, and that authority must protect the antiquity and promptly inform the Commission.
- Article 24The article requires the Commission's prior approval for demolition, utility connections and new work inside archaeological and urban heritage sites, requires it to reply within 60 days, and subjects the work to its monitoring.
- Article 25Historic sites and folk heritage sites are classified into categories (A), (B) and (C) according to their importance, and the protection rules for archaeological sites apply to them.
- Article 26Fixed and movable submerged antiquities, whether discovered or not, in the maritime areas under the Kingdom's sovereignty or legal jurisdiction are State property.
- Article 27Whoever discovers an underwater archaeological site, shipwreck or archaeological piece must leave it in place and report immediately, and whoever retrieves a piece by chance must report it and hand it over within a week.
- Article 28If submerged antiquities, or antiquities retrieved from the maritime areas under the Kingdom's sovereignty or jurisdiction, face dangers threatening their safety or survival, the Commission must take the measures needed to preserve them.
- Article 29تنسق الهيئة مع كل من: وزارة الدفاع، ووزارة الداخلية (حرس الحدود)، ووزارة البترول والثروة المعدنية، ووزارة الزراعة، والهيئة العامة للمساحة،…
- Article 30The Commission may exchange duplicate movable antiquities, or those with similar specimens, with museums and scientific institutions inside and outside the Kingdom, and lend movable antiquities for display in international museums and exhibitions.
- Article 31The Commission may accept movable antiquities offered to it as a gift or loan, and may keep or display them in the name of the person who offered them.
- Article 32The Commission may leave a movable antiquity discovered by chance in its discoverer's possession after registering it, and the discoverer may not dispose of it without the Commission's approval.
- Article 33Restoring movable antiquities for commercial purposes may not be practiced except after obtaining a license from the Commission, and the regulations set out the controls for this.
- Article 34Heritage artifacts are classified in the antiquities register into categories A, B and C; classified ones receive the protection given to movable antiquities, and the Authority helps document them and supports research.
- Article 35Registered movable antiquities owned by the State may not be sold, and may not be given away without the approval of the Prime Minister, without prejudice to agreements the Kingdom is party to.
- Article 36No movable antiquity may be acquired without proof of lawful ownership and its presentation to the Authority for registration; the holder is responsible for preserving it and must notify the Authority at once if it is lost, damaged or stolen.
- Article 37The Authority may acquire any movable antiquity by purchase or exchange, under the conditions set by the regulations.
- Article 38Trading in movable antiquities whose holder proves lawful ownership, and in folk heritage pieces, is permitted after obtaining a license from the Authority under the conditions set by the regulations.
- Article 39Privately owned movable antiquities and heritage artifacts registered as national heritage may be dealt in, with a license from the Authority, within the Kingdom only; the Authority has a priority right to buy, and the seller has notification duties.
- Article 40Anyone who brings an antiquity or heritage item into the Kingdom must comply with international agreements, declare it to customs and register it with the Authority within 3 weeks, and may take it out after the Authority's approval.
- Article 41Antiquities may not be copied, and models of them may not be made for commercial purposes, without a license from the Authority; the regulations set the conditions and provisions.
- Article 42The Authority alone has the right to conduct archaeological surveys and excavation, including submerged antiquities, and in coordination with the competent bodies may license universities, scientific bodies, excavators and foreign missions to do so.
- Article 43The Authority and licensed bodies may survey and excavate in public and private property in coordination with the owners, with private owners compensated for the value of the land if the immovable antiquity is retained, or for damage after excavation.
- Article 44Discovered antiquities found by the Authority or a licensed excavator are State property that cannot be given up, though they may be exhibited and some may be lent for study for an agreed period.
- Article 45The Authority creates the urban heritage register and classifies its buildings and sites into categories A, B and C; classification covers the building, its fittings and surrounding urban and natural areas, and registration may be cancelled.
- Article 46The protection zone for immovable urban and archaeological heritage is set at 200 meters around the boundaries of the classified building or site and may be changed by decision of the President, and protection zones may be created in cities and villages.
- Article 47The Authority, in coordination with the bodies concerned, prepares the urban heritage protection and development plan that identifies classified buildings and rules for intervention, and building regulations apply to its buildings unless they conflict with protection.
- Article 48When structural urban plans and detailed designs are prepared, the protection of classified buildings and sites must be observed, and registered antiquities and heritage and their protection zones must be included in city plans.
- Article 49Issuing the decision to create an urban heritage protection and development zone results in protection plans being merged into the structural and detailed urban plans, replacing them in the classified area.
- Article 50Classifying an urban heritage building or site obliges the State to protect it, or to share in protecting it if privately owned; it must be maintained and operated without altering its elements, and harm to it from the protection zone is prohibited.
- Article 51Building or restoration in classified urban heritage buildings, neighborhoods and villages requires a license from the Ministry, and maintenance or subdivision requires the Authority's approval, to which it must respond within 90 days.
- Article 52The article refers to the regulations the mechanism for contributing to the costs of maintaining, repairing and restoring a classified urban heritage building or site if its owner is unable to do so.
- Article 53Transferring ownership of classified heritage buildings and sites owned by the State to private persons, or selling or leasing those owned by the private sector, requires the Authority's approval, and the new owner must comply with the conditions.
- Article 54تنسق الهيئة مع وزارة البترول والثروة المعدنية عند تصنيف وتسجيل مباني التراث العمراني التي تقع ضمن مناطق امتيازات ومحجوزات شركات الزيت…
- Article 55No one may work in restoring and maintaining heritage buildings without obtaining the Authority's approval and classification, as set out in the regulations.
- Article 56Any person may establish a cultural, heritage, scientific or other museum as a cultural or investment project, after obtaining classification and a license from the Authority and the relevant bodies.
- Article 57Museums are classified into three categories (A), (B) and (C) according to the level of their displays and the variety of their activities; anything else is a private collection, and the regulations set the classification criteria.
- Article 58The Authority adopts a "Saudi Museum" logo granted to public and private museums, which passes with the museum if ownership transfers, and the regulations set the provisions on granting, suspending and revoking it.
- Article 59The article requires a museum to preserve, maintain, study and enrich its collections, display them to the widest possible public, carry out cultural and educational activities, and take part in scientific research.
- Article 60The Authority may provide financial support to private museums that hold the "Saudi Museum" logo and support them with funding sources, and these museums are entitled to benefit from the Authority's expertise and its scientific and technical support.
- Article 61A fee may be set for entry to museums and to any other sites where temporary exhibitions are held, and the regulations set the controls for this.
- Article 62The Authority may register in the antiquities register those museum exhibits that meet the specifications of national antiquities, and the museum may not sell them or take them out of the Kingdom except with the Authority's approval.
- Article 63Only museums that hold the "Saudi Museum" logo may take part in exhibitions outside the Kingdom and in joint activities with museums abroad, and only after the Authority's approval.
- Article 64Only museums that hold the "Saudi Museum" logo may accept financial subsidies and gifts in kind from outside the Kingdom, and only after the Authority's approval and in accordance with the governing controls.
- Article 65The National Museum and the regional museums the Authority designates have boards of trustees, formed by the Board on the President's proposal, which propose the museum's operating programs and follow its affairs and activities.
- Article 66Individuals, institutions and companies operating in the Kingdom may donate by buying archaeological or heritage items or collections for the benefit of museums, and may be given benefits and incentives approved by the Council of Ministers.
- Article 67Every museum must coordinate with the Authority when it moves its premises from one place to another or makes a fundamental change to its displays.
- Article 68A museum's activity may not be stopped permanently or for a long period except after the Authority's approval, the Authority may determine the fate of its exhibits, and the regulations set the controls.
- Article 69No museum may carry out any restoration of an item it owns that is registered in the antiquities register except after the Authority's approval, and the regulations set the controls.
- Article 70The activity of operating museums may not be carried out except with a license from the Authority, and the regulations set the conditions for granting this license.
- Article 71Anyone who unlawfully takes possession of an antiquity belonging to State property is punished by imprisonment from 6 months to 7 years and a fine of SAR 50,000 to SAR 500,000, or either penalty.Amended M/67
- Article 72Imprisonment from 3 months to 3 years and a fine of SAR 20,000 to SAR 300,000, or either penalty, for anyone who interferes with an antiquity or heritage site or excavates without a license.Amended M/67
- Article 73Imprisonment of up to 2 years and a fine of up to SAR 200,000, or either, for forging antiquities, demolishing or building at their sites without approval, violating the easement, and deliberately salvaging submerged antiquities.Amended M/67
- Article 74Imprisonment of up to 1 year and a fine of up to SAR 100,000, or either, for altering heritage buildings without approval, removing rubble, dumping waste, and defacing antiquities.Amended M/67
- Article 75Anyone who violates the conditions and provisions relating to antiquities and urban heritage in a license he has been granted for restoring archaeological and heritage buildings is punished by a fine not exceeding SAR 70,000.Amended M/67
- Article 76A fine of up to SAR 60,000 for commercial copying of antiquities without a license, concealing discovered antiquities, selling or exporting an antiquity in violation of the Law, and placing signs without approval.Amended M/67
- Article 77A fine of up to SAR 50,000 for nine violations, including failing to submit a statement of owned antiquities, possessing an unregistered antiquity, operating a museum without a license, and obstructing the Ministry's teams.Amended M/67
- Article 78The smuggling provisions of the Unified Customs Law of the Gulf Cooperation Council states apply to smuggling antiquities, and the Customs Authority hands seized antiquities over to the Authority.
- Article 79Without prejudice to the rights of bona fide third parties, movable antiquities involved in violations and the funds derived from them, and the tools, machines and means of transport used in specified violations, are confiscated by court judgment.
- Article 80Without prejudice to penalties, anyone who found antiquities or obtained them in violation must hand them over, anyone who damaged registered sites must pay compensation, and anyone who demolished or built without approval must remove it and restore the site at his expense.
- Article 81Without prejudice to penalties, where survey, excavation, export, trading or museum licenses are violated, the committee provided for in Article 90 may stop the activity, or suspend or permanently cancel the license.
- Article 82Anyone who takes part, by agreement, incitement or assistance, in committing any violation under the Law is punished with the same penalty set for it.
- Article 83Attempting any violation of the Law is punished by no more than half of the maximum penalty prescribed for it.
- Article 84If a violation is punishable under the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage and under another law, the more severe penalty is applied.
- Article 85The article allows doubling the maximum penalty for repeat offending within 3 years of a final judgment or decision, and publishing the operative part of the judgment at the violator's expense once it becomes final.
- Article 86Authority employees authorized to detect violations of the Law are judicial police officers during their work and within the limits of their jurisdiction, and the Authority may use authorized employees of other bodies by agreement with them.
- Article 87The article requires government bodies to notify the Authority when they learn of any violation of the provisions of the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage.
- Article 88Every antiquity seized under the provisions of the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage is handed over to the Authority at once.
- Article 89The Authority grants a financial reward, as the regulations provide, to those who help seize antiquities, report violations, accidentally discover an important antiquity, or guide it to unknown sites.
- Article 90A three-member committee formed by decision of the Minister considers the violations in Articles 75, 76 and 77 and applies their fines; its decisions are approved by the President and may be appealed to the Board of Grievances.Amended M/67
- Article 91Without prejudice to paragraph (1) of Article 90, the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution is responsible for investigating violations of the Law and pursuing the case in respect of them before the criminal court.
- Article 92The Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage Law replaces the Antiquities Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/26 dated 23/6/1392 AH and repeals all provisions that conflict with it.
- Article 93The Board issues the Implementing Regulations of the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage within 120 days of the date the Law is published in the Official Gazette.
- Article 94The article sets the date the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage takes effect, after 120 days from its publication in the Official Gazette.