Arabian Chronicles in Stone: Jabal Ikmah

Jabal Ikmah epigraphs and petroglyphs represent the largest concentration of well-preserved Dadanitic inscriptions in the world, dated back to the second half of the first millennium BCE. Inscribed in an impressive sandstone canyon in Saudi Arabia's AlUla County, the collection features nearly 300 valuable inscriptions created by the ancient Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations, reflecting a variety of themes such as society, religion, rituals, agriculture, and memorials. As writing is a vital milestone in the development of mankind, marking the transition from pre-history to history, the significance of Jabal Ikmah’s inscriptions transcends its national and regional boundaries to the level of global importance. In particular to the evolution of languages and alphabets, Jabal Ikmah inscriptions played a crucial role in the development process of Old Arabic languages and dialects, during first millennium BCE. Its authenticity and integrity, both from the point of view of the information that the epigraphs and petroglyphs, preserve and convey about the societies of the last millennium before the common era, as well as the nature of the manifestations and the state of conservation of the site.