RIYADH — The Heritage Commission has announced the discovery and documentation of the sixth oldest early Arabic inscription in Jabal Al-Haqqun in the Hima cultural area in the Najran region in southern Saudi Arabia. This came as part of the commission's survey work. The Al-Haqqun inscription belongs to Ka'b Bin Amr Bin Abd Manat, who registered it and sealed it with the date of its implementation according to the Nabataean calendar, at around the year 380, using the method of Nabataean symbols with numerical values. The date of the inscription reveals that Ka'b Bin Amr Bin Abd Manat was a merchant who was passing the road while heading to his home in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula. The discovery of the Al-Haqqun inscription is a valuable scientific addition to the register of early Arabic writings before Islam, the commission stated. It added that it is also considered to be among the early Arabic inscriptions that represent an important stage in the development of Arabic writing. The commission said that the inscription of Jabal Al-Haqqun in the cultural area of Hima represents a new historical chapter added to an open museum of archaeological rock inscriptions in the Najran region. The Al-Haqqun inscription is preceded by several inscriptions, including three in Al-Ula Governorate and another in Najran, as well as other inscriptions in Al-Jouf and Tabuk regions. It is worth mentioning that the Hima cultural area, which was previously registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Najran region. It represents an open museum of rock inscriptions that extends over an area of approximately 557 square kilometers. The discovery of Al-Haqqun inscription comes within the commission's efforts in discovering antiquities and the national heritage in various regions of Saudi Arabia, in addition to protecting and preserving it. The commission also seeks to benefit from antiquities and national heritage as an important cultural and economic resource within the National Strategy for Culture emanating from the Kingdom's Vision 2030. This comes in accordance with precise strategies and wide-ranging scientific partnerships at the both levels, locally and internationally.
