This blog post is also about al'Ula (ٱلْعُلَا), where there is simply so much to see, and you can see various archaeological monuments all at once [1]. Today I want to talk about Jabal Ikmah (جبل عكمة). “Inducted into UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, Jabal Ikmah features more than 300 historically significant carved inscriptions. This spectacular mountain contains the largest concentration of Dadanitic and Lihyanite inscriptions in the world.” [2]
It is unclear what led to this particular region being covered with inscriptions over centuries and across different civilizations. According to one theory, the sedimentary rock, with its ease of working, invited these inscriptions and images. Much has been learned about the Lihyanite civilization, which flourished from the 6th century BCE to the 2nd century BCE, through these inscriptions. Chronological data about the kingdom, toponyms, commercial transactions, names of various musical instruments such as flutes, drums, and stringed instruments, descriptions of sculpture and metalwork, and much more were found. The rocky region is often described as an open library [3]. Inscriptions in various languages were found, including Dadanitic, Aramaic, Safaitic, Minaic, Nabataean, and others that predate the Arabic era and also influenced the development of the Arabic script.
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| I guess you didn'd expect the reptiloids among the readers of these scripts |
The pictures are also taken in the “impressive” mode, which makes inscriptions better visible. I selected pictures that show the different techniques used.
Links and Annotations:
[1] The City of AlUla in Saudi Arabia – An Overview
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-city-of-alula-in-saudi-arabia.html
The Lion Tombs at Dadan or al-'Ula (ٱلْعُلَا), Saudi Arabia
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-lion-tombs-at-dadan-or-al-ula-saudi.html
[2] https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/alula/attractions/jabal-ikmah-in-alula
[3] https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84_%D8%B9%D9%83%D9%85%D8%A9#%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%87%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9 – only available in Arabic!
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