Rock art in Saudi Arabia
- Al Naslaa
- Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions
- Camel Carving Site
- Hima Paleo-Arabic inscriptions
The archaeology of Saudi Arabia includes the following archaeological sites:
Al-Jawf Province, also spelled Al-Jouf, is one of the provinces of Saudi Arabia, located in the north of the country, partially bordered by Jordan to the west. It is one of the earliest inhabited regions of Arabian Peninsula, with evidence of human habitation dating back to the Stone Age and the Acheulean tool culture. Human settlement continued unbroken throughout the Copper Age, a period that saw the kingdom of Qidar fight against the Assyrian state for its independence. It is also in this period that references to Arabs first appear in historical texts. A Christian kingdom later emerged under the rule of the Bani Kalb tribe and survived until the arrival of Islam and the Islamic conquest of Al-Jawf. Following the region's Islamization it fell under the control of the Tayy tribe. Al-Jawf was incorporated into the third Saudi state at the time of its formation in 1932. In the 20th century the region was a site of conflict between the Al-Rashid family and the Al-Shaalan family, though it eventually came under the rule of King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.
Ḥaʼil Province, also known as the Ha'il Region, is one of the 13 provinces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is the eighth-largest province by area at 103,887 km2 (40,111 sq mi) and the ninth-largest by population, with the population in 2019 being 731,147. The province accounts for roughly 2% of the population of the country and is named for its largest city, Ha'il. Other populous cities in the province include al-Ghazalah, Shinan and Baq'aa. The region is famous for the twin mountain ranges of 'Aja and Salma, and for being the homeland of historic symbol of curiosity and generosity, Hatim al-Ta`i.
Tabuk is the capital city of the Tabuk Region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 594,350. It is close to the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border and houses the largest air force base in Saudi Arabia.
Tayma or Tema is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Medina and Dumah (Sakakah) begins to cross the Nafud desert. Tayma is located 264 km (164 mi) southeast of the city of Tabuk, and about 400 km (250 mi) north of Medina. It is located in the western part of the Nafud desert.
Dumat al-Jandal, also known as Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf, which refers to Wadi Sirhan, is an ancient city of ruins and the historical capital of the Al Jawf Province, today in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is located 37 km from Sakakah.
Ancient North Arabian (ANA) is a collection of scripts and a language or family of languages under the North Arabian languages branch along with Old Arabic that were used in north and central Arabia and south Syria from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. The term "Ancient North Arabian" is defined negatively. It refers to all of the South Semitic scripts except Ancient South Arabian (ASA) regardless of their genetic relationships.
Template:Short description“Do not enter of these people unless you enter weeping, but if you weep not, then do not enter upon them, lest you be afflicted with what they were afflicted with.”
Hegra, also known as Mada’in Salih, is an archaeological site located in the area of Al-'Ula within Medina Province in the Hejaz region, Saudi Arabia. A majority of the remains date from the Nabataean Kingdom. The site constituted the kingdom's southernmost and second largest city after Petra, its capital city. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found.
Tarout or Tārūt Island is an island in the Persian Gulf belonging to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, connected by three causeways to Qatif. It is six kilometers from the coast, and is the longest island in the Persian Gulf after Qeshm Island, extending from Ra’s Tannurah in the north to Qatif in the west. The island has an area of 70 square kilometers, and a population (2010) of 77,757. It contains a number of towns and villages, including Tārūt itself, Deyrah, and Darīn.
Saudi Arabia is the second biggest tourist destination in the Middle East with over 16 million visiting in 2017. Although most tourism in Saudi Arabia still largely involves religious pilgrimages, there is growth in the leisure tourism sector. As the tourism sector has been largely boosted lately, the sector is expected to a significant industry for Saudi Arabia, reducing its dependence on oil revenues. This is proved as tourism sector is expected to generate $25 billion in 2019. Potential tourist areas include the Hijaz and Sarawat Mountains, Red Sea diving and a number of ancient ruins.
Marid Castle is a historic military fortress located in the city of Dumat al-Jandal in the Al-Jawf region of Saudi Arabia, about 50 km from Sakaka. Built in the first century AD, it was first mentioned in the third century in the context of Queen Zenobia's campaign against Dumat al-Jandal and Tayma's rebellion, when her troops weren't able to capture the fortress.
Sakākā, often spelled Sakakah is a city in northwestern Saudi Arabia which is the capital of Al-Jawf Province. located just to the north of the An Nafud desert. Sakakah had a population of 209,174 at the 2024 census.
Thirteen ancient towns have been discovered in Saudi Arabia up to the present day. These include Qaryat al-Fāw, the Al-Ukhdūd archeological area, Hegra, Jubbah, Tārūt, Al-Shuwayḥaṭiyah, Thāj, Taimaa and Dūmat Al-Jandal. There are still more ancient towns in Saudi Arabia, but little information is currently available on them. Saudi Arabia occupies a unique and distinctive geographic location, bridging civilizations between continents. In ancient times the Arabian peninsula served as a corridor for trade; therefore it saw the beginning of many civilizations, the relics of which are still evident today. The Saudi government has recently established the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, which is responsible for the preservation of these cities.
Bir Hima is a rock art site in Najran province, in southwest Saudi Arabia, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of the city of Najran. An ancient Palaeolithic and Neolithic site, the Bir Hima Complex covers the time period of 7000–1000 BC. Bir Hima contains numerous troughs whose type is similar from North Arabia to Yemen.
The Pharaonic Tayma inscription is a hieroglyphic petroglyph found near the oasis of Tayma in Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia. It was discovered by local archaeologists in 2010. The rock engraving was found around 400 km north of Madinah and northeast of the ancient Nabatean site of Madain Saleh. It marks the first confirmed hieroglyphic epigraph discovered in the Kingdom.
Al-Badʿ is a town in Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia. It is west of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, between Tabuk and the Red Sea Coast. Located at 28° 41' N and 35° 18' E, it lies on the border of the Hejaz, and was in antiquity in Southern Midian. Al-Bad is located in the valley of the Wadi Aful in a highland area. It is near the town of Tayyib Al-Ism and approx. 25 km east of the eastern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, part of the Red Sea where there are pristine coral reefs. In 1995, 2 people at Al-Bad' died during the Gulf of Aqaba earthquake.
Jubbah or Jubbat Ha'il is a city in Ha'il Region, Saudi Arabia, 90 kilometres (56 mi) north-west of the city of Ha'il. The city lies on the old caravan road between Najd and the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Although completely surrounded by the vast Nefud Desert, Jubbah is known for its abundant agriculture and plentiful water and has a population of 5,622.
Dumat Al-Jandal Wall is located on the west end of Dumat al-Jandal in Al-Jawf province, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The wall is 5 meters high and its built out of stone, the wall surrounds ancient Dumat al-Jandal.
The Dūmat al-Jandal inscription is an Arabic Christian graffito written in the Paleo-Arabic script, and discovered at the Arabian site of Dumat al-Jandal. It was carved into the middle-left of a sandstone bolder, above a Nabataean Arabic inscription found a little lower. The rock also contains drawings of four female camels, one male camel, and an ibex.
The Umm al-Jimāl inscription is an undated Paleo-Arabic inscription from Umm al-Jimal in the Hauran region of Jordan. It is located on the pillars base of a basalt slab in the northern part of the "Double Church" at the site of Umm al-Jimal and was partly covered with plaster on discovery.
