Arabian Peninsula in Antiquity

An up-to-date discussions on the features of the Dhofari Script 2 and a discussion of most of the known texts in this variant, with some preliminary linguistics and paleographic remarks. A *very* preliminary draft - comments are more than welcome.

Jérémie Schiettecatte, Khalid Al-Zahrani, Abdullah Al-Dawsari, Badriya Al-Ghuwairi, Mohammed Al-Marih, Ali Saleh al-Marih, Khawla al-Qahtani, Khalid al-Zahrani, Camille Hilaire, Antoine Laurent, Silvia Lischi, Thomas Sagory. 2025. Saudi Arabian-French Joint Archaeological Project in al-Ukhdūd, Province of Najrān, Saudi Arabia. Report of the first field season — April 2025. CNRS; Heritage Commission. 2025.
The first season of the Saudi Arabian–French Joint Archaeological Project at al-Ukhdūd (Najrān Province, Saudi Arabia) took place from April 4 to 29, 2025, marking the beginning of a five-year collaborative program. Building on decades of Saudi investigations, this campaign aimed to reassess the site’s urban development, chronology, and cultural significance through an integrated strategy combining survey, excavation, and digital documentation. A systematic pedestrian survey mapped nearly 60% of the 201-hectare site, recording over 550 features including residential units, workshops, funerary areas, religious structures, and defensive installations. Extensive drone-based photogrammetry and RTK-GPS control produced high-resolution orthophotographs and digital surface models covering 117 hectares, complemented by mobile LiDAR scans of structures and select artefacts. Excavations focused on Building A43 (UK004) within the fortified residential sector and a deep test pit (UK004-TP1), revealing stratified architectural phases from the late pre-Islamic to early Islamic periods. Radiocarbon dates situated key occupation phases between the 3rd century BCE and 7th century CE. These results confirm al-Ukhdūd’s role as a major urban centre in South Arabia that bridged pre-Islamic and Islamic periods, providing new insights into its architectural and historical trajectories.

A revised reading and interptetation of the Aramaic text, based on a critical comparison of the published photographs and text analyses with the results of an autopsy of the stone by a team from the German Archaeological
Institute in September 2005.

Among growing indications of human occupation in the coastal regions of southern and southeastern Arabia extending into the Neolithic and beyond, this study introduces new archaeological evidence, namely bifacial arrowheads and trihedral points, suggesting human presence at the Saruq Al-Hadid site in the fringe of Rub' Al Khali during the mid-Holocene period. Human activities in the site are dated to the 'Dark Millennium' and Bronze Age. We suggest that Contexts 10 and 8 are an extension of the activities of the Horizon IV, located 20 m to the West. This is evidenced by the similarity in the simple reduction strategies applied in both to produce microliths, which are dated in both as well to the Wadi Suq and Late Bronze Age periods. However, there is a notable difference in bone density, with Horizon IV exhibiting higher density. Moreover, the almost complete absence of end products in Contexts 10 and 8 contrasts with their prevalence in Horizon IV. And the absence of final products in Contexts 10 and 8, with their high percentage in the Horizon IV. Taken together, these indications, coupled with the low density of lithics in Contexts 10 and 8 as well as those unearthed in area F, suggest that Horizon IV was the focal point of activities during the Wadi Suq period and the Late Bronze Age.

Ege Üniversitesi Üst Yayın Komisyonu'nun 04.11.2024 tarih ve 05/07 sayılı kararı ile yayınlanmıştır. © Bu kitabın tüm yayın hakları Ege Üniversitesi'ne aittir. Kitabın tamamı ya da hiçbir bölümü yazarının önceden yazılı izni olmadan elektronik, optik, mekanik ya da diğer yollarla kaydedilemez, basılamaz, çoğaltılamaz. Ancak kaynak olarak gösterilebilir. Eserin bilim, dil ve her türlü sorumluluğu yazarına/editörüne aittir. Eserin bilim, dil ve her türlü sorumluluğu yazarına/editörüne aittir.

Ptolemy’s map provides a range of coastal settlements on the Gulf of Oman that have
not yet been located with the port of Cryptus being of interest to this dissertation and
likely to be located either at Kalba or Dibba al Hisn. Hellenistic material provides
evidence for Dibba but as I argue Kalba also would have made a suitable port, although
this remains speculative. Further investigations could be directed via the Tell Abraq and
Ed Dur sites by considering the likely geography required vis-à-vis adjacent to a sabka
and near to mangroves.
There is no extant ancient literature on the Gulf of Oman coast and Mleiha site during
the 2nd century BCE. The expedition of Antiochus and the campaign of Numenius
provide the most extensive accounts of Greek interaction with NE Arabia. Antiochus’
interactions with Gerrha provides the point at which Gerrhaen dominance of the region
ceases and a site at Mleiha gains prominence. The role of Mleiha is explored in this
dissertation as well as considering which of two scenarios unfolds next:
1) Gerrha ceases to hold the Arabian monopoly and an offshoot independent
kingdom emerges centred on Mleiha.
2) Seleucid influence is invigorated in the Persian Gulf and Mleiha is sponsored to
provide an anchor of power in controlling the flow of trade on the Gulf of Oman
and Persian Gulf coasts.
The seminal evidence now is the Mleiha coin hoard, a succinct understanding of the
coinage discovered will undoubtedly lead to a greater depth of understanding on the
populace of the 2nd century BCE. It is a pivotal element as coinage is one of the most
direct forms of evidence for understanding the economic and political landscape of
ancient societies. Beyond this new depth of knowledge will be a further acceptance of
the fundamental and integral role of Mleiha as the key component in the supraregional
interactions between the Gulf of Oman and wider Indian ocean sphere of exchange
operating in conjunction with the Persian Gulf.

The Sadd al-Bint is one of the largest known ancient dams in Saudi Arabia, and yet, its construction date, function and collapse remained uncertain. This study presents the first numerical chronology for the dam, integrating radiocarbon dating, Bayesian modelling, geomorphological analysis and hydrological modelling to reconstruct its history. Results indicate a multiphase construction, with initial building between 596 and 686 CE, followed by repairs or extensions between 725 and 907 CE, and a final maintenance phase between 947 and 1015 CE. Structural and sedimentological evidence suggests that the dam's collapse was not due to poor engineering but rather prolonged lack of maintenance, leading to progressive infiltration until a sudden hydrological event triggered failure. Hydrological reconstructions confirm a maximum reservoir capacity of 12 million m³, potentially supporting extensive irrigation at nearby al-Thamad oasis. The study brings new insights on the dating of Arabian dams, perhaps its most challenging issue, demonstrating a major hydraulic investment during the Rashidun and Umayyad periods and its continuity into the Abbasid period. The dam's strategic location and its role in regional water management suggest a broader state-driven infrastructure policy in early Islamic Arabia. These findings enhance our understanding of longterm water management strategies in northwestern Arabia and their socio-political implications.

Le présent article explore les impacts et défis liés à la mise en place d’une visite virtuelle au Musée d’Art d’Agadir, dans le cadre plus large de la digitalisation des pratiques muséales.
L'objectif principal est d’évaluer l’efficacité de cette initiative comme outil de médiation culturelle, tout en identifiant ses limites et axes d’amélioration. Pour ce faire, une méthodologie mixte a été adoptée, combinant l’analyse quantitative des données collectées via Matomo, et une analyse qualitative des comportements utilisateurs grâce au heatmapping. 
Le cadre théorique repose sur les concepts clés de médiation culturelle numérique, accessibilité universelle et durabilité patrimoniale. L’hypothèse principale est que les visites virtuelles complètent avantageusement les visites physiques en élargissant l’audience et en offrant une expérience inclusive, bien qu’elles nécessitent une adaptation constante pour répondre aux attentes des utilisateurs. 
Les résultats montrent que la plateforme a attiré un nombre significatif de visiteurs lors de sa première année, avec une audience majoritairement composée de résidents locaux et d’utilisateurs européens. Les Smartphones sont le principal dispositif utilisé, soulignant l’importance d’une optimisation pour les appareils mobiles. Des défis techniques, notamment liés aux temps de chargement et au manque d’interactivité, nécessitent des ajustements pour améliorer l’expérience globale des utilisateurs.
Cette étude démontre que la visite virtuelle est un levier efficace pour promouvoir le patrimoine artistique marocain, mais elle nécessite des ajustements continus pour maximiser son impact et garantir une expérience fluide et accessible à tous.

The Jumeirah Archaeological Research Project seeks to reassess the long-term occupation of Jumeirah (Dubai) through an integrated study of three key archaeological sites-Jumeirah 1, 2 and 3. This study builds upon previous excavations and archival data to refine the chronology of the settlement and examine whether these sites functioned as a single entity throughout the Islamic period. A study of architectural decoration, supported by the findings of the architectural analysis, indicates that at a certain period of time, the sites of Jumeirah 1 and 2 functioned within one spatially coherent settlement. Re-examination of the pottery assemblage allows us to identify this phase as Abbasid. While the spatial extent of Jumeirah in other periods is more difficult to establish, pottery evidence confirms continuous occupation of varying intensity throughout the Umayyad, Middle Islamic and Late Islamic periods. The integration of Jumeirah 3 into this reconstruction awaits future excavation.

The third volume of the series on the results of the Saudi-German excavations in Taymāʾ presents for the first time a comprehensive catalogue of the inscriptions from the collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in the city of Taymāʾ, Tabuk Province, in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The museum, along with six other regional museums, was established in the early 1980s by the then Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums. During the preparation of this publication, the collections were moved to the museum's storage facilities in the provincial capital of Tabuk due to the planned construction of a new Taymāʾ Museum. For almost 40 years, the Taymāʾ Museum was a central reference point for the transmission of historical and ethnographic knowledge to the local population, tourists and scholars. In addition to the museum, the archaeological sites of Taymāʾ excavated by the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, such as the architectural complexes of Qasr al-Hamra and Qasr al-Radm, were also prepared for visitors, as was the Bir Hadaj, the famous well in the middle of the old city of Taymāʾ. This unique ensemble of cultural heritage sites and monuments is now joined by the archaeological site of Qrayyah, where the joint expedition of the German Archaeological Institute and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) first carried out excavations and then conservation work on historically significant buildings. This is an important step towards greater public involvement in the rich cultural heritage of Taymāʾ. The Taymāʾ Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, with its workrooms, laboratories and accommodation, served as the hub of the joint expedition for more than 15 years and was a lively research centre and meeting place. Therefore, the initiative of its former director and head of the Antiquities Office at Taymāʾ, Muhammad al-Najem, to systematically record the inscriptions from the museum in cooperation with the DAI-SCTH team was a logical step. Michael C. A. Macdonald, a member of the joint team on site, in going a step further, recorded and examined all the texts in the Taymāʾ Museum. Certain texts and text groups were examined by his esteemed colleagues Frédéric Imbert, Jerôme Norris and Peter Stein. In addition, the catalogue includes textual sources from Taymāʾ held in other museums. Together with the inscriptions from the archaeological excavations of the Saudi-German expedition, published as Volume II of the Taymāʾ series, the complete corpus of Taymāʾ inscriptions is now available for further research. We hope that these data, which reflect the rich history and cultural diversity of the oasis over the centuries, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage of the site and the region as a whole. We are very grateful to the authors for their successful work.

I am delighted to dedicate this paper to my long-time friend Prof. Dr. Norbert Nebes with whom I have spent many happy hours over the years in delightful, often 'fierce', discussions about ancient Arabia, both at my home and his. I wish him a very happy and successful 'transition' (not of course 'retirement'!) to even greater activity (if possible) in his new post as Head of the Research Centre for Ancient South Arabia and North East Africa at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. 1 See M. C. A. Macdonald (2010), 19-20. 2 Unless otherwise stated, the sigla of all Ancient North Arabian inscriptions mentioned in this paper can be found in the Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia (OCIANA, ). The sigla and statistics from Ancient South Arabian inscriptions are from the Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions (CSAI, =1&corId=0&colId=0&navId=0). 3 For a slightly longer discussion of this see M. C. A. Macdonald (2022), 38-39.

Arbach M. & J., Schiettecatte. 2023. Jazīrat al-ʿarab fī al-qarn al-ṯāliṯ al-mīlādī ʿalā ḍawaʾ al-nuqūš al-ʿarabiyat al-janūbiyat. Muscat: Sultan Qabus University, Kuwait City: CEFREPA (ISBN 978-99969-98-71-3).

A description of the Arabian Peninsula in the 3rd century CE after a South Arabian inscription.

Driven by an “urgent linguistic question,” the German Orientalist Heinrich von Maltzan (1826–1874) spent three months in Aden in early 1871, where he conducted philological research among the indigenous population. Maltzan’s studies were later published in the "Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft" (ZDMG). As with most linguistic studies of the time, the ZDMG articles do not reveal how Maltzan acquired the language materials that he presented to his readers. How did Maltzan pursue language studies in Arabia? Who were his “native informants”?  And, what was the nature of their “philological encounters”? With the help of his travelogues and one unpublished diary, this article reconstructs Maltzan’s journey and research methodology as that of a colonial researcher. The article thereby shifts the perspective on 19th century oriental philology from textual practice toward an understanding of philology as an intercultural practice, rooted in the historical and political dynamics of the colonial context.

تُمثل الإبل أحد الرموز الحضارية البارزة في منطقة نجران، حيث كانت من أكثر الحيوانات تمثيلاً في النقوش والرسوم الصخرية، والمكتشفات المادية في كافة مواقع نجران الأثرية، والتي تُؤرَّخ بالعصور القديمة قبل الإسلام. ولا يقتصر هذا التمثيل على الجانب الوظيفي للإبل كوسيلة للنقل أو الصيد، بل يتجاوزه إلى أبعاد حضارية أعمق، تتصل بالهوية، والانتماء، والرمزية الدينية، والاجتماعية. تبرز تلك الرسوم الصخرية المنتشرة في مواقع مثل حمى وجبل الكوكب صوراً متكررة للإبل في سياقات تعبيرية مختلفة، مما يدل على أنها لعبت دوراً حضارياً فاعلاً في الحياة العامة، ولم تكن مجرد حيوانات تستخدم في الزراعة والتجارة فحسب، بل كان عنصراً رئيسياً في الجزيرة العربية بصفة عامة، وفي منطقة نجران بصفة خاصة؛ لكونها مركزاً مفصلياً من مراكز العمران على طريق البخور، ونقطة تفرع ومركزاً لتشعّب الطريق شمالاً إلى ميناء غزة على البحر المتوسط، أو شرقاً إلى ميناء الجرهاء على ضفاف الخليج العربي.

Nubian ibex أو Capra nubiana عاش الوعل النوبي
تاريخيًا في منطقتي الشرق الأدنى وشمال أفريقيا، وسُمي بهذا الاسم نظرًا لتمركزه في منطقة النوبة جنوبي مصر، وصف كذلك بالتيس الجبلي نظرًا لتأقلمه في المناطق الجبلية الوعرة؛ ومن ثم امتد موطنه القديم من جنوب الساحل الفينيقي (الشام) إلى الجزيرة العربية وشمال إفريقيا وشرق النيل، ونظرًا لأنه يميل إلى العيش في التضاريس الجبلية الوعرة للغاية، شديدة الانحدار، لذلك يُعد من أصعب حيوانات الصيد، تتميز هذه الفصيلة بلونها البني الفاتح، مع بطن أبيض؛ كما يتميز الذكور بشعر بني غامق أسفل ظهورهم. وتتميز أرجلهم بنمط أسود وأبيض. كما تتميز بمؤخرة أفتح وذيل بني غامق. يبدأ نمو لحية الذكور في عمر 2 أو 3 سنوات، والتي تستمر في النمو بشكل أطول وأكثر قتامة مع تقدمهم في السن، وتمتلك الوعول النوبية قرونًا طويلة ورفيعة تمتد لأعلى ثم للخلف وللأسفل. يصل طول هذه القرون عند الذكور إلى حوالي متر واحد، بينما تكون أصغر بكثير عند الإناث، حيث تصل إلى حوالي 30 سم، كما تتميز قرون الذكور بكونها أكثر سمكًا من قرون الإناث، وتنمو عليها انتفاخات كبيرة تمنع القرون من الانزلاق أثناء انشغال الذكور بالقتال. يصل نمو قرون الذكور إلى ذروته عند سن 7-8 سنوات، بينما يصل نمو قرون الإناث إلى ذروته عند سن 4-6 سنوات، وقد برع الفنانونفي تصويره في الفن الصخري وأهتموا بتفاصيله الجسدية.

تهدف الدراسة إلى تناول أهمية ودلالات الوعل في
منطقة شمال الجزيرة العربية، وطرق صيده وأساليب الطقوس المصاحبة لها وذلك من خلال الفنون الصخرية والنقوش. بالإضافة إلى ما تم الكشف عنه من مكتشفات أثرية حديثة التي تناولت منطقة شمال الجزيرة العربية.

The knowledge of Early and Middle Bronze Age ceramics in Northwest Arabia remains limited, particularly in the Medina region, due to the scarcity of archaeological contexts dated to the fourth-first half of the second millennium BCE. Recent research in the Khaybar oasis has revealed significant Bronze Age occupation. Since 2021, the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project (Khaybar LDAP) has dedicated substantial efforts to analysing and characterising pre-Islamic ceramics. This article presents a comprehensive study of a corpus of Bronze Age pottery from securely dated contexts, with additional insights coming from an examination of the survey assemblage. It provides, for the first time, a complete set of chronotypological and technological data from Early and Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblages in the region, which has enabled the identification of a 'Burnished Ware Horizon' in Northwest Arabia during a time of emergent rural urbanism in the mid/late third-early second millennium BCE.

The church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island (Abu Dhabi) comprise the first Christian site ever discovered in the UAE, and one of the only two found to date. The site includes a church surrounded by a walled compound and a series of domestic spaces, interpreted as monastic dormitories. To the north and north-west, at least six (potentially up to ten) free-standing courtyard houses have been identified, built in the same style and with the same technique as the church and dormitories, and yielding similar material culture assemblages. These have been interpreted as part of a dispersed monastic settlement, of a type which has both been described in written sources and identified at other archaeological sites in the Gulf. Excavations have proceeded at the church and monastery since 1992; most recently, two of the free-standing courtyard houses were excavated by the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism in 2025. This project is still ongoing. At the same time, archival documentation from past excavations is being prepared for publication as a monograph. This paper presents a brief overview of this important Christian site, followed by the results of archival material reassessments carried out over the past two years. It then discusses the most recent results of excavations at the two courtyard houses from winter 2025. The paper concludes with an outline of future work, as well as a brief summary of protection, activation and public engagement activities related to the site.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

PREMIERE PARTIE: ARCHEOLOGIE (J.-F. Breton) 'ai fait connaissance d'Alexander Sedov, de passage sur la fouille de Shabwa, en mars 1980 en compagnie de Grjaznevich, cette contribution lui rend un hommage amical. space Le site de Kamna se trouve sur la rive gauche du wādī Madhāb (vallée du Jawf) près du confluent avec le wādī l-Khārid, à 9 km à l'ouest d'al-Ḥazm 1 (Fig. ). Dès le VIII e s. av. J.-C. Kamna apparaît comme une puissance régionale sur le cours moyen du wādī Madhāb. Lors de sa campagne contre Kamna, le souverain sabéen Yathaʿʾamar Watār fils de Yakrubmalik restitue à Nashshān des territoires que Kamna lui avait enlevés et prend possession de la ville de Manhayat avant de punir Kamna d'après DAI 2005-50 2 . De cette © Breton J.-F., Arbach M., 2020 1 Cet établissement fit l'objet de plusieurs études par la Mission archéologique française. Une première mission de reconnaissance eut lieu en novembre 1981; une seconde, plus longue, visant notamment à dresser le plan de la fortification et à entreprendre un ramassage de la céramique, se déroula en 1987, et une troisième en 1990 (Jean-Claude Bessac et moi-même), s'attacha principalement à l'architecture militaire. 2 Arbach, Rossi 2014: 48-49.

PREMIERE PARTIE: ARCHEOLOGIE (J.-F. Breton) 'ai fait connaissance d'Alexander Sedov, de passage sur la fouille de Shabwa, en mars 1980 en compagnie de Grjaznevich, cette contribution lui rend un hommage amical. space Le site de Kamna se trouve sur la rive gauche du wādī Madhāb (vallée du Jawf) près du confluent avec le wādī l-Khārid, à 9 km à l'ouest d'al-Ḥazm 1 (Fig. ). Dès le VIII e s. av. J.-C. Kamna apparaît comme une puissance régionale sur le cours moyen du wādī Madhāb. Lors de sa campagne contre Kamna, le souverain sabéen Yathaʿʾamar Watār fils de Yakrubmalik restitue à Nashshān des territoires que Kamna lui avait enlevés et prend possession de la ville de Manhayat avant de punir Kamna d'après DAI 2005-50 2 . De cette © Breton J.-F., Arbach M., 2020 1 Cet établissement fit l'objet de plusieurs études par la Mission archéologique française. Une première mission de reconnaissance eut lieu en novembre 1981; une seconde, plus longue, visant notamment à dresser le plan de la fortification et à entreprendre un ramassage de la céramique, se déroula en 1987, et une troisième en 1990 (Jean-Claude Bessac et moi-même), s'attacha principalement à l'architecture militaire. 2 Arbach, Rossi 2014: 48-49.

The political and economic life of the Persian Gulf throughout history has been influenced by the political developments of the tribes, especially in its islands and ports, and the political and regional role of the two local families, namely the Bani Qaisar of Kish and the Uyounis of Bahrain, was not ineffective in the structure of political and economic interactions in the west of the Persian Gulf in the Middle Ages. After the collapse of the port of Siraf, Kish Island was able to gain a considerable position during three centuries, from the middle of the  the role of the kings of Bani Qaisar in the commercial prosperity of this island cannot be ignored. This research shows the regional role and political interactions of local families such as the kings of Bani Qaisar of Kish and the Ayouni rulers of Bahrain in the history of the West. The Persian Gulf not only fills in the gaps in holistic narratives of Middle Eastern history, but also highlights the role of local actors in shaping the region's political, economic, and military trends.  This article, with a descriptive-analytical approach and using first-hand historical sources, shows how the decline of Siraf port and the re-emergence of Kish as a strategic port under the rule of the Bani Qaisar kings paved the way for a regional role, competition, and conflict with the Ayouni rulers in Bahrain. These rivalries were manifested in the form of political interactions, wars, contracts, and mutual citizenships, and finally led to the economic-military domination of Kish over Bahrain It was done. In the following, the article explains the regional role of the two families in the west of the Persian Gulf and also analyzes the role of lack of internal cohesion, external pressures, and inefficiency in resource management in this process.

Under press. To be published in Etudes et Travaux / centre d'Archéologie Méditerrannéenne de l'Académie Polonaise des Sciences. Vol. 26. Open Access Journal: Études et travaux / Centre d'archéologie méditerranéenne de l'Académie polonaise des sciences Études et travaux / Centre d'archéologie méditerranéenne de l'Académie polonaise des sciences p-

J. Cordoba is famous in the U.A.E. for his investigations in the oasis of al Madam (Emirate of Sharjah) where he could demonstrate the use of a falaj (pl. aflaj) during the Iron Age period and associate it to a cultivation area and to a settlement. This settlement could be dated between the 8 th and the 4 th century BCE, that is, between the local Iron Age II and Iron Age III periods. The falaj system has been interpreted in the late 90 ies as a technical innovation at the origin of a redevelopment and extension of the oases in SE Arabia during the Iron Age, itself favouring a demographic and economic growth during that period. Investigations carried out on the falaj AM-2 at al-Madam by J. Cordoba and his team brilliantly illustrated its characteristics and components as well as its progressive drying up at the beginning of Iron Age III, with a deepening of the falaj's floor followed by a final abandonment of the systeman of the nearby settlement and cultivation. Recent investigations carried out at Masafi (J. Charbonnier, A. Benoist), at Bin Ati (T. Power, P. Sheehan), and at Salut (M. Degli Esposti) have brought to light new data on the archaeology of the aflaj, which suggest a more nuanced picture of the irrigation techniques used in Iron Age oases in SE Arabia. The robust dataset built at al-Maam can thus be compared and contrasted with these new data an with the documentation from other SE Arabian sites, in orer to show that nothing as an archetypal falaj probably existed.

This contribution consists of a new edition of the Imperial Aramaic stele discovered in 1979 in the temple of the Qaṣr al-Ḥamrāʾ at Taymāʾ, Saudi Arabia. It offers a new reading and interpretation of it as well as a new dating hypothesis in the light of palaeography.

This paper explores a vision to build capacity and establish an integrated policy for the maritime and coastal heritage of the UAE through the case study of a collaborative coastal survey project. It is recognized that currently none of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries has maritime heritage legislation, and there is limited specific maritime expertise within the ministries responsible. In October 2011 the first phase of the Coastal Heritage Project of the UAE was conducted between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), now known as Tourism and Cultural Authority Abu Dhabi (TCA Abu Dhabi), the Directorate of Heritage Sharjah (Rulers Office/Historic Buildings), the Maritime Archaeological Stewardship Trust (MAST), and Archaeological Prospection Services of Southampton (APSS), at two targeted sites in the UAE. A comprehensive magnetometer survey was conducted on selected areas on Delma Island, Abu Dhabi and of the entire site of Al Khan, Sharjah. Sections...

This poster summarizes a master's degree research conducted within the framework of the Al-Ula Cultural Oasis Project (UCOP), led by Archaïos, funded and steered by the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA) on behalf of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). This research focuses on the uses of photographic documentation for the archaeological study of the Al-Ula oasis as well as on the valorization of its heritage buildings and archaeological sites through the prism of photography. The main objective of this work is to highlight the primary role of archaeological photography for the promotion and mediation of the Al-Ula palm grove. From old photographs of Fathers A. Jaussen and R. Savignac (Figure 1) to aerial photographs for remote sensing, photography is an integral part of the archaeological research process.

Five years of large-scale excavations and surveys carried out by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and the Saudi Heritage Commission at the ancient caravan city of Thāj (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia), c. 75 km inland from the Gulf coast, produced a significant pottery assemblage of imported Mediterranean wares-particularly in the levels dated between the fourth and second c. BCE. These finds suggest strong economic connections with the centre of the Hellenistic world through long and complex communication routes. The aim of this paper is to present this unique assemblage of imported pottery and to raise a discussion over possible routes via which Mediterranean goods reached the site. This will be considered in relation to other finds of fine wares and transport amphorae at sites of the Gulf and their broader distributions in Arabia and Mesopotamia.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has made significant progress in developing its heritage and handicraft industries over the past decade. However, the changes since its establishment in 1971 have reshaped its heritage landscape. Two key handicrafts, the madkhan and jerz, are highly valued for their authenticity in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and the Musandam Peninsula in northern Oman. Their resurgence in contemporary culture by heritage associations and locals in the northern emirates reflects the UAE’s commitment to preserving both tangible and intangible heritage. Although seemingly unrelated, these crafts are intertwined in the minds of their makers, forming part of a shared manufacturing tradition in the region. This policy paper provides an overview of the madkhan and jerz’s origin, production, and display as traditional artifacts of Ras Al Khaimah. It also proposes measures for national and local museums and community representatives to protect and nurture these crafts from endangerment.

إن إلقاء نظرة فاحصة على الساحة الأدبية والنقدية العربية والإسلامية ، يعد كافياً لاكتشاف ما يسود هذه الساحة من فساد في مذاهب الأدب ومناهج النقد الأدبي الحداثية التي لم تضع في مقاييسها حساباً للمقدسات والشرائع والقيم ، بل ذهب بعضها إلى وضع مقاييس مضادة تنصّ على رفض الفكر الديني والاخلاقي والتنظيمي وفصلها عن عالم الفن والأدب ، وبذل دعاة هذه المذاهب والمناهج جهوداً مضنية في إقامة فكر إلحاديّ متحّلل فوضوي، مشجعين الادباء والنقاد على الانحراف والسقوط الفكري والاخلاقي ، والخروج على كل قاعدة في الأدب أو النقد .   
  من هنا تأتي ضرورة هذه الدراسات في تصدّيها لهذا الانحدار والتدهور، من خلال محاولة تعزيز التيار الأدبي والنقدي الإسلامي في العصر الحديث ، بإرساء القواعد والأسس المتينة للأدب والنقد الأدبي ودعم النظرية بالتطبيق في ميدان الابداع  واسهاماً منها في الكشف عن جوانب مهمة من نظرية الأدب الاسلامي على أمل أن يفيد منها الأدباء الاسلاميون في ترشيد خطاهم الابداعية ويفيد منها النقاد الاسلاميون في ترصين منهجهم النقدي .

حولية الآثار اليمنية
حولية الآثار اليمنية "أزال"
العدد الثامن..

باسمكَ اللهمّ

    تطوف بنا تقارير هذا العدد من مجلة "أَزَال" في مساجد أثرية تناولتها الأيدي بالترميم والصيانة في الأشهر القلية الماضية ومازال العمل في اثنين منها قايماً حتى هذه الأيام، فبتمويل وبتعاون من مكتب الأوقاف في محافظة تعز قامت الهيئة بالإشراف على أعمال الصيانة في جامع الجَنَد الذي أسّه الصحابي معاذ بن جبل عند قدومه موفداً من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله فأعيد ترميم الساقية الرئيسة والمدافن وبعض الأعمدة وترميم حمام بخاري كان مدفوناً ولم يبقَ إلا أن يعاد تشغيله للناس ليُستفاد من ريعه للجامع، أما سقف الجامع فقد استبدل بمصندقاته الخشبية القديمة سقفٌ اسمنتي بتمويل سعودي أيام الملك فيصل بن عبدالعزيز وقيل إن تلكم المصندقات أرسلت إلى المملكة والله أعلم،
    وفي مدينة " أَزَال" صنعاء القديمة (تشرف الهيئة على أعمال ترميم الرواق الجنوبي لجامعها الكبير المقدس ثالث مسجد بُني في الإسلام ويشمل الترميم المصندقات الخشبية في سقفه وأعمدته وجزءاً من جداره، وما زال العمل جارياً.
    وفي قمة حصن غَيْمان جنوبي صنعاء أزيلت أخشاب سقف مسجده التالفة واستبدل بها سقف من نوع الأخشاب نفسها واستخدم القضاض في الترميم للمسجد وملحقاته، وإلى الغرب من صنعاء على قمة جبل النبي شُعيب بن مَهْدَم وهي أعلى قمة في جزيرة العرب قريباً من السماء، كان يقع مسجد أثري له سقف مزخرف بديع تؤدى فيه الصلوات ويناجي فيه العابدون ربهم منذ مئات السنين، وذات ليلة حالكة السواد أقبلت طائرات العدوان السعودي – الأمريكي فأطلقت صواريخها على المسجد وفي ثوان جعلته " ركاماً بعد عين"!!
    ثم.. يستوقفنا تقرير من ظَفار حاضرة الرَيْدانيين وشعبهم حِمْيَر يسرد وصفاً مقتضياً لقطع أثرية عرض بعضُ الإخوة تسليمها لمتحف ظفار، ومنها حجر نحتت عليه مبخرتان وكُتب عليهما بخط المسند: (ب إ ذ ن ك ش م س)          ومعناها: " بجاه قوتك يا شمس"، وهذا النص من الشواهد النادرة التي يرد الكلام فيها بصيغة الخطاب للمعبود (بإذنكِ) لا بصيغة الغائب كما هو المعتاد في مئات الشواهد، وقد خلت الاستغاثة من أداة النداء ولعل ذلك للإيحاء بقرب المنادَى (المعبود)، وينبغي هنا أن نذكر أننا لا نجد لأداة النداء شاهداً فيما نعرفه من نقوش المسند حتى الآن (من نقاش مع معلمنا إبراهيم الصلوي)، وأما التوجه للشمس بالاستغاثة فقد أكده القرآن الكريم في حديثه عن قوم ملكة سبأ: ﴿وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ﴾
و عند قيامنا بتصوير أعواد الزبور وهي تلك الأعواد التي يقاس طولها بالسنتيمترات وتسجل عليها موضوعات متعلقة بالحيوات الاجتماعية في اليمن قديماً، كنا قد وجدنا بضع مئات منها يلزمها الترميم وهو ما يقوم به فريق من المتحف الوطني بحهود ذاتية ونسأل من الله العون.
    ثم أخرج لنا محررو المجلة تقارير قديمة عن أعمال مسح وتنقيب أُجريت في بعض محافظات بلادنا، فقد أجرى فريق وطني تنقيبات في محافظة ذمار في حَمّة ذِياب وفي هِرّان، وأجرى فريق آخر حفريات أثرية في موقع جبل حَجّاج في محافظة إب، وأجرى فريق وطني وأجنبي تنقيباً في الهامِد من القُطَيْع إلى الشرق من باجِل في تِهامة وكان قد سبقهم إلى الموقع نفسه أجانب، وتقريراً عن نزول ميداني إلى موقع قُلّة الهلال في مديرية ساقيْن من صعدة.(وهذا الأخير قريب العهد)
لن اُفصّل القولَ في عمليات التنقيب تلك ولا في ذكر نتائجها فمحل ذلك في مكانه من كل تقرير، بيد أني أشير هنا إلى أمرين أحدهما يُذكّر بالآخر:
أما أولهما: فإن النفس لتشعر بالرضا ونحن نرى فِرَقاً من أهل اليمن تقوم بالتنقيب ثم نقرأ تقارير على قدر من النضج (تقرير حمة ذياب وتقرير جبل حجاج)!
وأما ثانيهما: فإن الأسف ليخيّم على النفس ونحن نقابل مواقع أثرية تدعونا للتنقيب فيها والإجابة عن أسئلة تكمن أجوبتها في تلك المواقع، لكن الهيئة مكبلة لا بالأثريين اليمنيين بل بالقدرات المادية اللازمة للتنقيب. (وقد يأتي يوم يتناقص فيه أهل الخبرة)!
والحمدلله لله أولاً وآخراً.

                                  عباد بن علي الهيال
                    رئيس الهيئة العامة للآثار والمتاحف
                                      صفر ١٤٤٧ ه‍

رابط المجلة .
https://www.mediafire.com/file/lwief062ch9yymk/مجلة+أزال+العدد+الثامن.pdf/file

#أزال
#مجلة
#حولية_الاثار
#general_organization_of_antiquities_and_museums
#goam
#yemen
#azal

The Sabaic hapax legomenon hrws2 , which appears in the inscription al-Miʿsāl 6, is here discussed for the first time. It is compared to the well-known Ancient South Arabian root √rws1 , by revaluating some of its occurrences. The distribution of cognate roots in all other Semitic languages which retain them is also analysed. This study allows us not only to reconstruct the semantic value of hrws2 , but also to assert the existence of a pair of allomorphic roots in Proto-Semitic.

Le rêve de la fourrière et la prophétie des enfants Par Crésus Danish Expert en géostratégie I. Le stationnement comme chute originelle Je fis un rêve. Un rêve étrange, dense, comme un parchemin froissé par le souffle du Très-Haut. J'avais garé ma voiture dans une rue quelconque, sans malice, sans

Hz. Peygamber döneminin en önemli savaşlarından biri Bedir Savaşı'dır. Bu savaşa katılan sahâbîler; Bedrî, Bedir ehli ve Bedir ashabı olarak anılmışlar ve her daim müslümanlar nezdinde çok saygın ve itibarlı kimseler olmuşlardır. Allah'ın melekler göndererek yardım ettiği ve Hz. Peygamber'in cennetlik olarak vasıflandırdığı Bedir ashabı, Osmanlı kültüründe de önemli bir yere sahip olmuştur. Onların isimlerinin dua olarak okunması tavsiye edilmiş ve bir âdet haline gelmiştir. Bedir Savaşı'na katılanların isimlerini bir liste halinde ilk defa Mûsâ b. Ukbe eserine almıştır. Zamanla bu listedeki isimlerin sayısı ve kimlikleri hakkında çeşitli farklılıklar oluşmuştur. Osmanlı döneminde Bedir ashabı hakkında en uzun listelerden birini Amasyalı âlimlerden Yûsufefendizâde vermiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Mûsâ b. Ukbe ile Yûsufefendizâde'nin Bedir ashabıyla ilgili tespitlerini inceleyip analiz etmek ve karşılaştırmaktır. Böylelikle Bedir ashabının isimleri konusunda tarihsel süreçteki ittifak ve ihtilaf edilen isimleri belirlemektir. Çalışma Mûsâ b. Ukbe'nin el-Megāzî adlı eserinin Muhammed Taberânî ve Muhammed Bakşîş tarafından yapılan tahkik nüshaları ile Yûsufefendizâde'nin Esmâü Ashâbi'l-Bedr ve Risâle fî zikri men şehide ve men lem yeşhed ve duribe lehû bi-sehmihî ve ecrihî ve men uhtulife fî şühûdihî siva'n-nebî adlı risaleleri kapsamında ele alınmıştır. Çalışmada doküman analiz yöntemi esas alınmıştır. Çalışmanın kapsamı ve yöntemi açısından özgün bir değer taşıdığı ve İslam tarihi alanına katkı sağladığı düşünülmektedir.

The study focuses on Sulaym in the crucial transition period from Jāhiliyya to Islam, and hence it contributes to the study of the Prophet and his time. Most of the study concentrates on the Arabian Peninsula, although a few leading families are followed into the Islamic conquests and the early Umayyad period.
The focus on one tribe makes it possible to collect a large amount of data from a variety of sources: biographical dictionaries, genealogical literature, geographical literature, sīra and adab compilations, poetry Dīwāns and Qurʾān exegesis.

This article examines the emergence of photography in Yemen, with a specific focus on the visual archive produced by French physician Claudie Fayein during her visits in the early 1950s. In a context where photography was restricted by religious and political authorities—particularly under the rule of Imam Yahya—Fayein’s position as a foreign woman granted her rare access to domestic and gender-segregated spaces. Her photographs, taken informally alongside her medical work, capture vernacular architecture and social life across urban and rural Yemen. The study argues that Fayein’s images constitute a vital visual record of Yemen’s built environment on the eve of the 1962 revolution, preserving architectural and cultural forms that were soon to undergo rapid transformation. By situating these photographs within the broader history of visual documentation in Yemen, the article explores how photography intersects with issues of gender, space, and historical memory.

Dal 2021, l’Università di Pisa e la Sultan Qaboos University collaborano a un progetto di scavo archeologico presso il sito di Al Tikha, in Oman.
Le indagini hanno portato alla luce un esteso insediamento risalente al periodo Umm an Nar (ca. 2700-2000 a.C.), articolato in aree urbane, zone produttive e una necropoli.
Questo volume raccoglie i risultati delle prime campagne di ricerca, dando spazio ai reperti più significativi esposti nella mostra “I sigilli di Al Tikha. Scoperte archeologiche in Oman delle Università di Pisa e Sultan
Qaboos”, ospitata presso la Gipsoteca di Arte Antica e Antiquarium dell’Università di Pisa.

This study questions until recently held assumptions that Nabataean script was a direct ancestor of Arabic script. Instead, this work argues that the earliest recognizable form of Arabic script is represented by the Thamudic script. The study focuses on a lacuna in academic literature in understanding the development of Arabic script and is often marked by a bias towards Eurocentrism when addressing Nabataean influence. By reassessing chronology and cultural context for Thamudic inscriptions, this work bases an alternative hypothesis rooted in a localized Arabian model. This study comesn therefore, to examine a large dataset of Thamudic inscriptions and associated petroglyphs of extinct fauna such a aurochs and wild deer based on data collected through archaeological, geomorphology, and zoology sources. The main stress is put on important archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia, in particular Al Hail, Al-Qaraa, and Al-Ula. These sites are used as a key case study to evaluate the simultaneous occurrence of Thamudic script and environmental conditions during the Holocene Humid Phase (8000-4000 BCE), a time when climatic conditions were favorable to have augmented vegetation, ample water resources, and a wider variety of fauna across the Arabian Peninsula.

Lexicography, the art and craft of dictionary-making, is as old as writing. Since its very early stages several thousands of years ago, it has helped to serve basically the every-day needs of written communication among individuals in communities speaking different languages or different varieties of the same language. Two general approaches are distinguished in the craft of dictionary-making: the semasiological and the onomasiological. The former is represented by usually-alphabetical dictionaries as such, i.e. their being inventories of the lexicon, while the latter is manifested in thesauruses. English and Arabic have made use of both approaches in the preparation of their dictionaries, each having a distinct aim ahead. Within the confines of each language, an approach may yield various trends as to, for instance, the arrangement of entries within a dictionary. The present paper aims at distinguishing the various trends in writing dictionaries in both English and Arabic. By so do...

The site of GHG0088, with its two successive main phases of occupation, provides crucial data for re-evaluating our understanding of the Early Neolithic period (c.
6600–5400 cal. BCE) in the Arabian Gulf. The initial phase is marked by durable stone-built structures and evidence of domestic activities and funerary practices, presumably reflecting a settled lifestyle. The material culture includes a lithic industry, tools crafted from marine shells, and plaster vessels indicative of early pyrotechnological skills, while the absence of pottery challenges traditional views of Neolithic material assemblages in the Arabian Peninsula. Analysis of faunal remains indicates a subsistence strategy heavily reliant on marine resources, particularly fish, highlighting the exploitation of the neighbouring sea. While there is no evidence of agriculture or animal herding during that period, the rich coastal ecosystems likely ensured food security, reducing the need for residential mobility. The architectural remnants reveal patterns of continuity and adaptation across both phases. A significant layer of accumulated aeolian sand suggests a period of abandonment, potentially linked to the
8.2 ka BP climatic event. The subsequent reoccupation involved the adaptive reuse of the collapsed structures, transforming them into a temporary shelter for fishers,
as suggested by numerous stone weights found. Additionally, the presence of shell beads underscores a renewed significance of marine resources during this second phase of occupation and suggests participation in extensive long-distance trade networks. These findings provide valuable new perspectives on the early stages of the Neolithic period in the Arabian Gulf. Comparisons with other contemporary sites offer a foundation for redefining the Early Arabian Neolithic and its timeline in this region.