page_title: Ancient towns in Saudi Arabia
section_title: Literature
hierarchical_section_title: Ancient towns in Saudi Arabia / Qaryat al-Fāw / Literature
caption_attribution_description: English: Pergamon Museum ( Berlin ). Exhibition "Roads of Arabia": Stone plaque with Sabaean donation inscription for a mausoleum ( 1st century BC ), limestone, 67x44x12 cm, from Qaryat al-Faw ( Department of Archaeology Museum, King Saud University, Riyadh ). Deutsch: Pergamon Museum ( Berlin ). Ausstellung "Roads of Arabia": Steinplatte mit sabäischer Stiftungsinschrift für ein Mausoleum ( 1.Jhdt. v.Chr.), Kalkstein, 67x44x12 cm, aus Qaryat al-Faw ( Department of Archaeology Museum, King Saud University, Riyadh ).
context_page_description: Thirteen ancient towns have been discovered in Saudi Arabia up to the present day. These include Qaryat al-Fāw, the Al-Ukhdūd archeological area, Hegra, Jubbah, Tārūt, Al-Shuwayḥaṭiyah, Thāj, Taimaa and Dūmat Al-Jandal. There are still more ancient towns in Saudi Arabia, but little information is currently available on them. Saudi Arabia occupies a unique and distinctive geographic location, bridging civilizations between continents. In ancient times the Arabian peninsula served as a corridor for trade; therefore it saw the beginning of many civilizations, the relics of which are still evident today. The Saudi government has recently established the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, which is responsible for the preservation of these cities.
context_section_description: The residents of the Qaryat al-Fāw were concerned with writing, and a great deal of literature was found on the slopes of the mountains, in the market, temples, while paintings were found in the city's residential, and tombstones, pottery and other archaeological materials were also found in the city. The language used was a mix of the language of the north and south. They wrote on different topics, including on religious and commercial issues, as well as on subjects related to personal matters, and through their available literature it has been possible to identify some names of people, tribes, gods, as well as to identify the possible existence of the relations between Qaryat al-Fāw and other kingdoms. A vast amount of inscriptions was found in Qaryat al-Fāw.
caption: Stone plaque with Sabaean donation inscription for a mausoleum (1st century BC), from Qaryat al-Faw
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