Shuwaymis Rock Art

Rock Art in the Ha'il Region (Arabic: الفنون الصخرية في منطقة حائل) is the fourth site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. The rock art consists of two sites with petroglyphs and inscriptions situated in the desert of the Ha'il Region:

Jabel Umm mountain (Arabic: جبل أم سنمان) at the city of Jubbah 90 km northwest of Ha'il within the Nafud desert.

Jabal Al-Manjor (Arabic: جبل المنجور) and jabal Raat (Arabic: جبل راطا) at Al-Shuwaymis 250 km southwest of Ha'il on the border between the provinces of Ha’il and Medina.

On both sites an ancient population left traces of their passings in petroglyphs on the rock's surface, holding 8,000 years of history.

Inscription criteria

In its 39th session in 2015 the committee added both sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Criteria for the inscription are the exceptionally large number of petroglyphs, containing stunning expressions of the human creative genius. The petroglyphs provide an exceptional testimony to the challenges of past societies in response to environmental catastrophes. The Saudi Commission for Tourism has sought to further protect the cultural site. These efforts include increasing the buffer zone, repainting and refurnishing the petroglyphs and developing a monitoring system.

Description

The petroglyphs of Jubbah are located at the eastern flanks of jabal Umm Sinman. The hills, rising to a height of 1264 m above sea level and almost 450 m above the surrounding Nafud desert, once overlooked a paleolake, up to 20 km long and 5 km wide. The panels feature different rock art traditions over the last 10,000 years and reflect major economic and cultural adjustments to climate change. The oldest petroglyphs display animals such as the ibex, which was revered by early Neolithic. As cattle and horses were domesticated, they were added to the art. With increased desiccation and the drying up of lakes 3000 years ago, camels became essential and are illustrated in abundance alongside Thamudic and Arabic script.

Jabals al-Manjor and Raat are rock escarpments in a now sand-covered wadi at Shuwaymis. The petroglyphs include figures of men, animals, palm trees and feet impressions.