Change of pace… it’s time to share another aspect of my trip… history. We visited Saudi historical rock art in Hail Province, which has been a global historical site since the nineteenth century. Arab ancestors left traces of their human experiences through drawings representing human and animal figures. It was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015. Jubbah is one of the most famous rock art sites in the Saudi Arabia. It is an oasis with remnants of an ancient lake that was once rich in vegetation, wildlife, and human habitation. Now, it is surrounded by a sea of shifting sands in al-Nefud Desert. Unlike paintings and engravings from the New Stone Age found in other parts of the world, the rock art in Jubbah is characterized by deep carvings. These display very prominent images that still retain their original features significantly. The engravings depict images of men and women, providing insight into the clothing people wore in the past and how they styled their hair. These artistic relics also display animals, hunting scenes, and weapons such as bows, arrows, sticks, and spears.
Jubbah is distinguished by passing through three different eras: the modern era, the Thamudic era, and the late prehistoric period. Thus, its rock art does not belong to one era or one civilization. (Saudipedia) It dates back to up to 10,000 years old.
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