Stories Etched in Stone

The sandstone cliffs of Jabal Ikmah—world's largest Dadanitic and Lihyanite inscriptions—remains a hidden gem in Al-Ula

- By SOUMYA GAYATRI

The bazaar is redolent with the fragrance of spices, frankincense smoke and vendors calling every passerby to look at their wares. A solitary musician plays his harp in the corner, and the merchant prods his horses to make haste — this is how an ancient city in Al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia would have looked like 2000 years ago. These sights and smells of bygone Arabian towns may no longer be visible, but the stone carvings and inscriptions of Jabal Ikmah paint a vivid picture of life and culture from that era.

Located just 20 minutes north of the Old Town of Al-Ula, Jabal Ikmah, or the "Mountain of Wisdom", is a narrow and deep gorge in the middle of a cluster of red sandstone mountains. The valley walls and fallen boulders are home to hundreds of rock inscriptions, many over 3000 years old, which give rich insights into religious, economic and social life from that era.

"In antiquity, many people travelled through Al-Ula and some made it their home like the people of the Kingdoms of the Dadanites and Lihyanites", says Wedad Yaseen, a local tour guide who works for the Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU)—dedicated to preserving and protecting the culture and heritage of this ancient region. "They left their marks on these stones for us to decipher thousands of years later", she adds.