The Mahd Al Dhahab, is a small gold mining area in the Arabian Peninsula. It is located in the Medina Province in the Hejaz in Saudi Arabia. Gold was first mined in Arabia c. 30th century BC. A second period of activity was during the Abbasid Caliphate between 750 and 1258. The latest activities, by the Saudi Arabian Mining Company began in 1936 using both open-pit and underground mines at Mahd adh-Dhahab.