Hegra (Mada'in Salih)
Alternative name | Al-Hijr ٱلْحِجْر Mada’in Salih |
---|---|
Location | Medina province, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia |
Coordinates | 26°47′30″N 37°57′10″E / 26.79167°N 37.95278°E |
Type | Settlement |
Official name | Hegra Archaeological Site (Al-Hijr / Madâ’in Sâlih) |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | ii, iii |
Designated | 2008 (32nd session) |
Reference no. | 1293 |
Region | Arab states |
Hegra (
The archaeological site lies in an arid environment. The dry climate, the lack of resettlement after the site was abandoned, and the prevailing local beliefs about the locality have all led to the extraordinary state of preservation of Al-Hijr,[7] providing an extensive picture of the Nabatean lifestyle. Thought to mark the southern extent of the Nabatean kingdom,[8] Al-Hijr's oasis agriculture and extant wells exhibit the necessary adaptations made by the Nabateans in the given environment—its markedly distinct settlement is the second largest among the Nabatean kingdom, complementing that of the more famous Petra archaeological site in Jordan.[7] The location of the site at the crossroads of trade, as well as the various languages, scripts and artistic styles reflected in the façades of its monumental tombs further set it apart from other archaeological sites. It has duly earned the nickname "The Capital of Monuments" among Saudi Arabia's 4,000 archaeological sites.[9][10]
The
In 2008,
Location
The
Al-Hijr is a small village. It belongs to Wadi al Gura and is located at one day's travel inside the mountains. It was the homeland of the Thamudians. I have seen those mountains and their carvings. Their houses are similar to ours but are carved in the mountains, which are called the Ithlib mountains. It looks as if they are a continuous range but they are separated and have sand dunes around them. You can reach the top of the mountains, but this is extremely tiring. The well of the Thamudians which is mentioned in the Holy Quran is located in the middle of the mountains.[22]
The site is on a plain at the foot of a basalt plateau that forms a portion of the Hijaz Mountains. Beneath the western and northwestern parts of the site, the water table can be reached at a depth of 20 metres (66 ft).[7] The setting is notable for its desert landscape, marked by sandstone outcroppings of various sizes and heights.[23]
History
Name
Its long history and the multitude of cultures occupying the site have produced several names. References by
Although Hegra was for a long time not as important as
Rock writings
Recent archaeological work has revealed numerous rock writings and pictures not only on Mount Athleb, but also throughout central Arabia.[29] They date between the sixth century BC and the fourth century AD and are labelled as being Thamudic. "Thamudic" was the name invented by nineteenth-century scholars for these large numbers of inscriptions which had not yet been properly studied.[30]
Lihyan/Dedanite era
Archaeological traces of
Nabatean era
The extensive settlement of the site took place during the 1st century AD,
At the
Roman era
In 106 AD, the Nabatean kingdom was annexed by the contemporary Roman Empire.[34][35] The Hejaz, which encompasses Hegra, became part of the Roman province of Arabia.[7]
The Hedjaz region was integrated into the
Roman province of Arabia in 106 AD. A monumental Roman epigraph of 175–177 AD was recently discovered at al-Hijr (then called "Hijr" and now Mada'in Salih).[7]
The trading itinerary shifted from the overland north–south axis on the
The history of Hegra, from the decline of the
Ottoman era
The
According to the researches of Al-Ansari, the Ottoman castle was found near the settlement dating to the year 1600 A.D in 1984[22]
19th century
Following the discovery of Petra by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812, Charles Montagu Doughty, an English traveler, heard of a similar site near Hegra (Mada’in Salih), a fortified Ottoman town on the Hajj road from Damascus. In order to access the site, Doughty joined the Hajj caravan, and reached the site of the ruins in 1876, recording the visit in his journal which was published as Travels in Arabia Deserta.[10][35] Doughty described the Ottoman fort, where he resided for two months, and noted that Bedouin tribesmen had a permanent encampment just outside of the building.[38]
In the 19th century, there were accounts that the extant wells and oasis agriculture of al-Hijr were being periodically used by settlers from the nearby village of
By the end of the 1960s, the Saudi Arabian government devised a program to introduce a sedentary lifestyle to the
Recent developments
In 1962, examples of many inscriptions were discovered and renewed the archaeological assessment of Hijr (Mada’in Salih) by Winnett and Reed.[22] Although the Al-Hijr site was proclaimed as an archaeological treasure in the early 1970s, few investigations had been conducted since.[9] Mirdad had lived here for a short time and wrote notices about the region since 1977. Healey studied here in 1985 and wrote a book about the inscriptions of Hijr (Mada’in Salih) in 1993.[22]
The prohibition on the veneration of objects/artifacts has resulted in minimal archaeological activities. These conservative measures started to ease up beginning in 2000, when Saudi Arabia invited expeditions to carry out archaeological explorations as part of the government's push to promote cultural heritage protection and tourism.[9][23] The archaeological site was proclaimed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.[43] More recent archaeological studies of the area have been made as part of efforts to document and preserve the heritage sites prior to opening the area to more tourism.[44][45]
Architecture
The Nabatean site of Hegra was built around a residential zone and its oasis during the 1st century CE.[7] The sandstone outcroppings were carved to build the necropolis. A total of four necropolis sites have survived, which featured 131 monumental rock-cut tombs spread out over 13.4 km (8.3 mi),[46][47] many with inscribed Nabatean epigraphs on their façades:
Necropolis | Location | Period of construction | Notable features |
---|---|---|---|
Jabal al-Mahjar | North | no information | Tombs were cut on the eastern and western sides of four parallel rock outcrops. Façade decorations are small in size.[7] |
Qasr al walad | no information | 0–58 AD | Includes 31 tombs decorated with fine inscriptions as well as artistic elements like birds, human faces and imaginary beings. Contains the most monumental of rock-cut tombs, including the largest façade measuring 16 m (52 ft) high.[7] |
Area C | South-east | 16–61 AD | Consists of a single isolated outcrop containing 19 cut tombs.[48] No ornamentations were carved on the façades.[7] |
Jabal al-Khuraymat | South-west | 7–73 AD | The largest of the four, consisting of numerous outcrops separated by sandy zones, although only eight of the outcrops have cut tombs, totaling 48 in quantity.[7] The poor quality of sandstone and exposure to prevailing winds resulted to the poor state of conservation of most façades.[48] |
Non-monumental burial sites, totaling 2,000, are also part of the place.[7] A closer observation of the façades indicates the social status of the buried person[10]—the size and ornamentation of the structure reflect the wealth of the person. Some façades had plates on top of the entrances providing information about the grave owners, the religious system, and the masons who carved them.[23] Many graves indicate military ranks, leading archaeologists to speculate that the site might once have been a Nabatean military base, meant to protect the settlement's trading activities.[31]
The Nabatean kingdom was not just situated at the crossroad of trade but also of culture. This is reflected in the varying motifs of the façade decorations, borrowing stylistic elements from Assyria, Phoenicia, Egypt and Hellenistic Alexandria, combined with the native artistic style.[7] Roman decorations and Latin scripts also figured on the troglodytic tombs when the territory was annexed by the Roman Empire.[9] In contrast to the elaborate exteriors, the interiors of the rock-cut structures are severe and plain.[23]
A religious area, known as "Jabal Ithlib," is located to the north-east of the site.[7] It is believed to have been originally dedicated to the Nabatean deity Dushara. A narrow corridor, 40 metres (131 ft) long between the high rocks and reminiscent of the Siq in Petra, leads to the hall of the Diwan, a Muslim's council-chamber or law-court.[7] Small religious sanctuaries bearing inscriptions were also cut into the rock in the vicinity.
The residential area is located in the middle of the plain, far from the outcrops.[7] The primary material of construction for the houses and the enclosing wall was sun-dried mudbrick.[7] Few vestiges of the residential area remain.
Water is supplied by 130 wells, situated in the western and north-western part of the site, where the water table was at a depth of only 20 m (66 ft).[7] The wells, with diameters ranging 4–7 m (13–23 ft), were cut into the rock, although some, dug in loose ground, had to be reinforced with sandstone.[7]
In the Qur'an
According to the Quran, the site of
However, only a minority heeded his words. The non-believers killed the
Robert G. Hoyland suggested that their name was subsequently adopted by other new groups that inhabited the region of Mada'in Salih after the disappearance of the original people of Thamud.[51] This suggestion is also supported by the narration of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar and analysis of Ibn Kathir which report that people called the region of Thamud al-Hijr, while they called the province of Mada'in Salih as Arḍ Thamūd "Land of Thamud" and Bayt Thamud (house of Thamud).[52][53] So the term "Thamud" was not applied to the groups that lived in Mada'in Salih, such as Lihyanites and Nabataeans,[54][55] but rather to the region itself, and according to classical sources, it was agreed upon that the only remaining group of the native people of Thamud is the tribe of Banu Thaqif which inhabited the city of Taif south of Mecca.[56][57][58]
See also
- List of World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia
- Iram of the Pillars
- Leuke Kome
- Lihyan
- Nabataeans
- List of colossal sculptures in situ
- Ancient towns in Saudi Arabia
Footnotes
- ^ a b Quran 15:80–84 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §E260.11
- ^ Strabo, Geography, § 16.4.24
- ^ "Hijr UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mada'in Salih | ExperienceAlUla.com". experiencealula.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Mada'in Saleh - Arabian Rock Art Heritage". Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ Marjory Woodfield (21 April 2017). "Saudi Arabia's silent desert city". BBC News.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "ICOMOS Evaluation of Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) World Heritage Nomination" (PDF). World Heritage Center. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ "HISTORY: Expansion of the Nabataeans". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d Abu-Nasr, Donna (2009-08-30). "Digging up the Saudi past: Some would rather not". Associated Press. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "HISTORY: Madain Salih". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2013-02-20.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Quran 7:73–79 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ a b Quran 11:61–69 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ a b Quran 26:141–158 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ a b Quran 54:23–31 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ a b Quran 89:6–13 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ a b Quran 91:11–15 (Translated by Pickthall)
- ^ Asad, M. "The Message of the Quran, 1982. [Note] Surah 17:2 briefly discusses Moses, followed by 17:3 dealing with Noah. Then Surah 17:59 deals with the Thamud, 17:61 deals with Adam's creation". Archived from the original on 2019-12-22. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ Wood, Graeme (2022-03-03). "Absolute Power". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
- ^ "Buried stories: the tombs of Hegra". Travel. 2022-07-05. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih)". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
- ^ "AlUla the place of heritage for the world". experiencealula.com. Archived from the original on 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
- ^ a b c d "Mada'in Salih, a Nabataean town in north west Arabia: analysis and interpretation of the excavation 1986-1990".
- ^ Harrison, Timothy P.. "Ḥijr." Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān. General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Brill Online, 2016.
- ^ Strabo, Geography, 16.4.24
- ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, E260.11
- Times of Israel. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Hegra - Livius". www.livius.org. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ^ "Thamūd". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. April 21, 2016.
- ^ dan. "The Online Corpus of the Inscriptions of Ancient North Arabia - Home". krc.orient.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g "HISTORY: Creation of Al-Hijr". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 0-85229-605-3.
- ^ "Hegra: A carved phenomenon envisioning the past". www.visitsaudi.com. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ ISBN 0-85229-605-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g "HISTORY: Fall of Al-Hegra". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Kesting, Piney. "Well of Good Fortune". Saudi Aramco World (May/June 2001). Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- ISBN 0-85229-605-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Petersen 2012, p. 146.
- ISBN 0-900891-48-3.
- ISBN 0-85229-605-3.
- ISBN 0-85229-605-3.
- ^ "Move Under Way to Restore Madain Salih Railway Station". Arab News. 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- ^ "Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih)". UNESCO. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
- ^ "Heritage Sites in AlUla, Saudi Arabia | ExperienceAlUla.com". experiencealula.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ "Information at nabataea.net". Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ "HISTORY: Al-Hijr". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "HISTORY: Tourist sites in Madain Salih". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d "HISTORY: Explanation of the Verses". Historical Madain Salih. Retrieved 2014-04-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Madain Salih – Cities inhabited by the People of Thamud". Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ISBN 0415195349.
- ^ Sahih al-Bukhari, Narrated: ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar, Hadiths: 2116 & 3379
- ^ Ibn Kathir (2003). Al-Bidâya wa-l-Nihâya ("The Beginning and the End") Vol.1. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya. p. 159.
- ^ The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Macropædia Volume 13. USA: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1995. Page: 818
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica, Under the Category of: History of Arabia, the Section of: Dedān and Al-Ḥijr
- ^ The Detailed History of Arabs before Islam, Prof. Jawwad Ali, Volume: 15, Page: 301
- Ibn Khaldon, Volume: 2, Page: 641
- ^ Kitab Al-Aghani, Abu Al-Faraj Al-Asfahani, Volume: 4, Page: 74
Further reading
- Abdul Rahman Ansary; Ḥusayn Abu Al-Ḥassān (2001). The civilization of two cities: Al-ʻUlā & Madāʼin Sāliḥ. Riyadh: Dar Al-Qawafil. ISBN 978-9960-9301-0-7
- Mohammed Babelli (2003). Mada'in Salih. Riyadh: Desert Publisher. ISBN 978-603-00-2777-4. (I./2003, II./2005, III./2006, IV./2009.)
External links
- World Heritage listing submission
- Explore Hijr: the Archaeological Site of Al-Hijr (Mada'in Salih) in the UNESCO coleection on Google Arts and Culture
- ExperienceAlUla.com (Official Tourism Website)
- Photo gallery at nabataea.net
- Photos from Mauritian photographer Zubeyr Kureemun
- Historical Wonder by Mohammad Nowfal
- Saudi Arabia's Hidden City[France24
- Madain Salah: Saudi Arabia's Cursed City
- Uncovering secrets of mystery civilization in Saudi Arabia – BBC
- "Saudi Arabia's Al Ula archaeologists unearth Gulf's first domesticated dogs. The dig at Hegra uncovered remains of human beings and canines dating back 6,000 years. "The National News", March 25, 2021.
Videos
- The Road to Mada'in Salih
- Round in Mada'in Salih : Part1 – Part2 – Part3 – Part4