See the Thamudic Inscriptions

See the Thamudic Inscriptions

Petroglyphs and inscriptions illustrate the 12.000 years of human occupation in Wadi Rum desert. They tell us stories about the history and evolution of human activity in the Arabian Peninsula. With over 25,000 petroglyphs and over 20,000 inscriptions, mostly Thamudic, Wadi Rum desert is a truly unique place on earth.

The numerous inscriptions found in Wadi Rum desert are made in four different North-Arabian scripts. Thamudic, Nabatean, Islamic an Arabic. They show the very early development of alphabetical writing among the societies in the peninsula. According to UNESCO Wadi Rum desert is ‘a critical site for the study and understanding of the evolution of aesthetics, writing and literacy’



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