Preliminary Report of the Epigraphic Survey in Yanbuʿ, Saudi Arabia

First Season (2023)

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from the first season of the Saudi Heritage Commission’s epigraphic survey in Yanbuʿ, conducted in 2023. The survey’s primary objective was to systematically document inscriptions and rock art that remain unrecorded despite their considerable significance. The survey covered 128 sites across 16 areas surrounding Jabal Raḍwā, including key areas such as Wādī ʿArʿar, Wādī ʿAbāthir and Wādī Buwāṭ. A total of 991 Islamic inscriptions, 151 Ancient North Arabian inscriptions, and 1367 rock art and petroglyphs were registered. Among the notable discoveries is the possible first known depiction of a warthog in Arabia, which may date to a period before the onset of aridification in the early fourth millennium BCE. The ancient inscriptions are written in Ancient North Arabian, showing the features of Thamudic D. The majority of the early Islamic inscriptions, which include an inscription dated 76 (695/696), contain religious texts and are tentatively dated to the seventh and eighth centuries based on the script shape, while some show much later dates letter shape. The recurrent reference to the same individuals in early Islamic inscriptions suggests that many were written by local inhabitants. The paper also presents an overview of several significant archaeological structures uncovered during the survey.