Hasma, Saudi Arabia: historical legacy through Thamudic inscriptions
Photographer Mohammed Al-Sharif documented the natural beauty of the Hasma sandy mountains on the western side of Tabuk, northwest of Saudi Arabia, and their strange formations and red sands.
Al-Sharif told Al-Arabiya.net that convoys and riders passed through those mountains throughout successive human civilizations. That explains the diversity and abundance of archaeological inscriptions on the rocks.
Hasma Thamudic inscriptions
Historians describe Hasma as a place filled with Thamudic inscriptions dated back more than 2,600 years. It also contains the Arabic writings of the period before and after Islam early through the successive Islamic eras.
It also includes other writings and inscriptions that indicate the historical legacy of the region. Researchers explore it for understanding the development of the Arabic language.
The site was the first to be discovered in Arabic inscriptions, later known as the Hasmiya dialect.
Hasmiya is an Arabic dialect similar to the Nabataean dialect. It is the first Arabic writing in which the letters are connected, as is the Kufic script. The Hasma’s I letter is similar to the Safa’s I letter, except by its location and date.
