History buffs including tourists will find plenty to do in Saudi Arabia. One of the various pursuits and attractions is to visit and study the rich rock inscriptions and ancient paintings. Throughout the Kingdom, inscriptions were etched, engraved, pecked, or even sometimes carved on stones or on the rock-faces of cliffs, hills and mountains’ walls; that provide vivid descriptions of the contemporary culture and heritage of the region.
The rock inscriptions and drawings especially in Najran are more important treasure house of information that sheds new light on the history and heritage of Saudi Arabia in particular and the whole Middle East region in general. The Groove (Al-Ukhdood) area, which has been mentioned in the Qur’an in Surat Al-Burooj, is one of the richest archaeological areas in the region. It contains writings and inscriptions on the stones dated back 1750 years.
The inscriptions, in fact, scattered in a number of archeological sites in Najran region speak of the region’s civilization and history spanning thousands of years during which the ancient people recorded their history, culture and life.
Najran is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Najran was center of cloth making and originally, the kiswah or the cloth of the Ka’aba was made there. Najran was also an important stopping place on the Incense Route. The history of Najran can be traced back to 4,000 years ago. It was once occupied by the Romans; in fact it was the first Yemeni city to fall to the Romans on their way to the Yemeni kingdom of Saba.
A glimpse at the history shows that Najran’s most prosperous trading time was during the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. In ancient times it was known as Al-Ukhdood. Najran joined the newly announced Kingdom of Saudi Arabia way back in 1934 as a result of the efforts and struggles of Sheikh Jabir Abu Saq, the leader of one large clan of the Yam tribe. Old Najran was surrounded by a circular wall, 220 by 230 meters, built of square stone with defensive balconies. It contained several unique buildings around it.
There is also a cemetery south of the external wall. Excavations of this site have uncovered glass, metals, pottery, and bronze artefacts. Square and rectangular buildings have also been found. At Al-Ukhdood, which is south of Najran city, carvings from those days and human bones can be seen. A museum displays, among other items, a bronze lion head. Other Najran’s landmarks include the “Rass” stone, a 2-meter-high granite stone.
On the other hand, rock inscriptions are abundant in archaeological sites in Najran region and even the adjoining areas. These inscriptions contain ancient hieroglyphic inscriptions in Al-Qabil village and Kufic writings on Mount Al-Hamra, located near the ancient city of Al-Ukhdood (The Trench), and other Kufic inscriptions on Mount Al-Musammah.
There are early Islamic inscriptions and writings at Al-Dharwa, Al-Musammah and Najd Sahi sites and on Mount Al-Kaukab, which also has rock drawings dating back to different ages and providing contemporary historical information. These inscriptions contain drawings of snakes, camels, horses, spears, antelopes, ostriches and ancient warriors.
The rock writings, inscriptions and drawings are considered to be a museum of history that reflects the culture of past ages and the civilization and history since ancient times, said Saleh Aal Mreih, Executive Director of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) in Najran region, in a report.
The SCTA in Najran region is working strenuously to protect the historic treasures there and in its governorates, he added. The most prominent rock writings are in Thamudic and Al-Musnad scripts in addition to the inscriptions and various drawings that depict man’s life during those ages, he said.
During its archaeological survey of Najran region, the SCTA registered 41 inscriptions at Abar Hima site alone and drawings sprinkled here and there on the rocks. Besides the inscribed information and drawing, there were a few lines of Arabic writings on the site, and numerous graves dating back to the Bronze Age some 5,000 years ago. All these speak volumes of the rich contents of ancient records including the inscriptions Najran possesses today.
The rock drawings at Abar Hima (Hima wells) in Najran appeared as man first attempted to write alphabetically. People in the southern Arabian Peninsula developed the alphabetical writing, known as the southern Al-Musnad script, at the beginning of the first millennium B.C. Trade led to the spread of this script and the area extending from Abar Hima became an arena for trade caravans. The Hima rock art site in the southwest Saudi Arabia lies about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north of Najran city.
An ancient Palaeolithic and Neolithic site, the Bir Hima Complex covers the time period of 2500–1000 BC. Bir Hima contains numerous troughs whose type is similar from North Arabia to Yemen. Ancient history of human occupation of this habitat is credited to its resources of wild life, water and the lime stone terrain. In fact, one of the expedition members investigating the Arabian art form found the site of Bir Hima, where he recorded 250 images.
Hence, it can be concluded that Bir Hima is a treasure trove of petroglyphs, eclipsed only by those found in the Jubba region. Here, 100 sites have been identified. In the Najran area, as many as 6,400 human and animal illustrations, which include more than 1,800 camels and 1,300 human depictions, have also been recorded. At this important rock art site, apart from depictions of humans, giraffes and other animals, the sixth century inscriptions of Dhu Nuwas, a Himyarite King who occupied Najran, are also recorded.
A number of articulated camel fragments were excavated at site 217-44. While its engravings are probably much earlier than those of Hunters Palette, the Bir Hima warrior, armed with bow, is almost identical to the men on the Hunters Palette. Traders on the ancient roads roaming in this region have also recorded their experiences, drawings and names as well as some of their interests, mostly in Sabai script and Thamudic script, along routes near sources of water, caves and foothills.
Then, there are traditional adobe and brick architectural styles in Najran, which are popularly called midmakh buildings. They are very distinctive and reflect the influence of Yemeni designed in the province. The buildings are made up of several stories with very appealing internal and external ambience. The lowest level is given over to livestock. The next level is for human habitation, and have small windows to keep out intruders and heat.
As one goes up the building, the windows get larger to let in more light and air. Often the houses are clustered together around a central courtyard, so that members of the same family can live together. All these can still be viewed in the local museum. In fact, Najran has one of the Kingdom’s newest and best museums, with displays pf the formation of wadis and deserts, archaeological finds from the area, local crafts, tools and photos of the area taken by Harry St John Philby, the famous diplomat, explorer and spy.
Apart from all these remnants of history, there are several other tourist attractions in Najran and its adjoining areas. Abi Al-Rashash valley, which is one of the important tourist places, is popular for its water or we may call it water spring that comes out of the rock. This is something like a miracle for a country like Saudi Arabia, which is currently experiencing a lot of problem because of the depleting water resources. There are also Nahoqa valley and Raaom hill, which are popular among tourists.
Then, Al – Ukhdood is another attraction in Najran region. It shows the history and heritage of the Kingdom in general. It contains a lot of sculptures and wonderful drawings, that need to be further studied from historical point of view. The Najran Dam on the other hand is a modern feat.
The 73-meters high Najran dam is one of the region’s tourist attractions and is considered one of the most beautiful places with its natural charming view, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy scenic views on both sides of the dam.
Also, the Al-Aan Palace is one of the most remarkable pieces of architecture in the Wadi Najran. The main tower is 5 storeys high and dominates the oasis from the summit of a rocky outcrop. You can’t go into the building because people live there, but there’s an excellent view from the car park over the oasis. Najran’s fort has only been around since 1942 and was decommissioned in 1967 when relations with Yemen improved. Built as a self-sustaining complex, it has around 60 rooms, including livestock pens and its own mosque.
Being an agricultural city, Najran is famous for its beautiful gardens and public parks. Peaches, apricots, apples, grapes, lemons and oranges are grown on a wide scale in Najran region. Such fruit framing will amaze those visitors, who think that Saudi Arabia has only oil and sand dunes. Najran is also famous for its numerous popular festivals and folklore dances. It is a tourist city with a moderate climate, orchards and scenic views. But, the historical importance of Najran is unparalleled mainly because of its numerous rich rock inscriptions.
In fact, Saudi Arabia’s rock art, which has found appreciation in recent years, is considered among the richest in the world along with other examples found in Australia, India and South Africa. The area was explored by the Philby-Ryckmans-Lippen expedition of 1951 and published by E. Anati (1969–72). It was then noted that the images on the rocks were inscribed with inset into the sandstone formation, dated 300–200 BC. Its rich heritage of rock petroglyphs caught the attention of Saudi officials only after 1976 when Jubba and other sites were investigated.
One must not forget that, Ahumairiens have left behind important historical inscriptions from the sixth century BC. The SCTA have two inscriptions from Ain Jamal, left by a commander of Hemyar Kings from the third century AD. Approximate date for these eventful inscriptions between the second half of the first century BC to the sixth century AD, in addition to a number of early Islamic and Arabic inscriptions can be given. The area includes a variety of well-composed rock paintings, mostly of animals and natural objects.

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