The Lion Tombs at Dadan or al-'Ula (ٱلْعُلَا), Saudi Arabia

 

I have already mentioned the city of al-'Ula [1]. The official spelling is AlUla, but al 'Ula or al-'Ula (العلا) would be more accurate. There is a lot to see in and around it. So also the rock tombs. Over 100 Nabataean tombs (Mada'in Salih) carved into the sandstone cliffs have been counted. These tombs were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Among them are the Lion Tombs, as well as others, including those where additional graves have been exposed by the wind in front of them. Inscriptions tell the stories of those buried there. Today I want to write more about the Lion Tombs and their culture, as they are the highlight of the Old City of Dadan, whereof the remnants of this old Nabatean city are close by. The lions are carved into the rocks. One has to look through binoculars as the site is only open to the public from a distance. I can understand this precaution, as the majority of people seem to need haptic sensory input where simply looking would suffice.

Dadan, or Lihyan in Arabic (لحيان), was an ancient kingdom that flourished between the 5th and 1st centuries BCE. The country derived its wealth from the frankincense trade [2]. The Dedanites were already mentioned in the Old Testament [3], indicating they existed as a people much longer. Little is known about the Dadanitic language, despite the existence of inscriptions. For example, the Wikipedia article states: “The grammar of Dadanitic is poorly understood, ..." [4]. The landscape gives an eery feeling nowadays.

Handy through the observation binoculars

There are more than twenty of these lion tombs (مقابر الأسود الدادنية), which were built between 600 and 500 BCE. The lions at the rock tombs were meant to protect the deceased [5]. Overall, the tombs also demonstrate the wealth of the dadanite society, or perhaps I should say the upper class; this is no different 2500 years later. The name of the chief god of the Dadanites was Dhu-Ghabat, the name means "he of the thicket" [6]. But again, there isn't any thicket seen today, though closer the the oasis there is green in the date palm groves.

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 
Some Observations Concerning Women in Saudi Arabia
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2026/03/some-observations-concerning-women-in.html 
[2] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadan 
[3] E.g.: "A prophecy against Arabia: You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives."
Isaiah 21:13-14
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadanitic 
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_tombs_of_Dedan 
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pre-Islamic_Arabian_deities 

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The Tomb of Shah Nur-eddin Nematollah Vali in Mahan

I could also visited the small town of Mahan (ماهان), which had a population of 16,787 in 2006 according to Wikipedia, but I guess that the number has increased by now. One of the attractions of the city is the tomb of Shah Nur-eddin Nematollah Vali, who was a poet and sage, a Sufi and founder of an order of dervishes. Shah Nur-eddin Nematollah Vali lived in the 14^th and 15^th century. He died in 1431 and is said to have passed his 104^th year. You can look at his poetry (in Farsi) in a book (Divan).

The earliest construction has been dated back to 1436.

The twin minarets are covered with turquoise tiles. Interesting are the interior of the mosque, of course, but also the reflecting pool.

 

Outside look at the minaretts and the reflecting pool

 

 

A closer look into the reflecting pool

 

 

Folk piety - people put money into the cover of the stone  above the grave

Seen all over the world, especially in Tibet

 

Calligraphy on the ceiling

 

 

Clay slabs from Karbala, which are used 

to put the forehead upon while praying

 

Though the local women dressed in chador, 

it wasn't mandatory for the tourists, 

for whom head scarf and covering dress was sufficient 

 

A very good view from the back side

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahan,_Iran

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Nimatullah_Wali

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Nematollah_Vali_Shrine

https://archive.org/details/DivanShahNematollahSangi1813/page/n175

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