Mustatils are rectangular stone enclosures with low walls that were built 7,000 years ago, primarily in Saudi Arabia. They can be anywhere from 20 meters to a whopping 600 meters in length. Over 1,600 have been found to date, but their purpose isn’t entirely clear. A new study of a 140-meter mustatil near AlUla, Saudi Arabia identified 260 fragments of animal skulls and horns belonging to domesticated cattle and goats, as well as gazelles and other wild animals. And here’s the crux of the study — these remains were mostly clustered near a standing stone that is thought to be a betyl (“house of god”, a sacred stone), strongly suggesting a ritual function. The researchers also found evidence for several phases of offerings, which means that people may have made repeated pilgrimages to the mustatil. And they found the remains of a man who was buried there as well. Thanks to this evidence, the study concludes that this mustatil had a ritual function, though they note that not all mustatils feature a betyl. The predominance of male animals may indicate a focus on fertility, pasturage, or rain. The researchers chronometrically dated the betyl to the 6th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest betyls ever found in the Arabian Peninsula. The remains are also noted as some of the earliest evidence of a tradition of leaving offerings at a betyl, which was important in pre-Islamic Arabia. And the findings also show that pilgrimage, as a practice, may have earlier roots than previously thought. And finally, as a side note, the remains include evidence of the earliest cattle domestication in northern Arabia. Wow, that was a mouthful. Moving on!