Ḥimā Cultural Area

Ḥimā lies on one of the caravan routes running north through Arabia, at a point where wells provided water, and the rock faces around them carry an accumulation of images and texts left by travellers over some seven thousand years: hunting scenes, animals, human figures, camel caravans, and inscriptions in Musnad, Thamudic, Nabataean, Greek and Arabic scripts, one of the largest bodies of ancient writing in the peninsula. The wells still hold water. The area was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2021. It sits in open desert north of Najran and access is by arranged visit, with the panels spread across several locations along the route.

History

People lived at Bir Hima in the Paleolithic and Neolithic, drawn by its game, water and limestone terrain, and the rock art complex spans roughly 7000 to 1000 BC, among rock art that ranks Saudi Arabia with Australia, India and South Africa. The Philby-Ryckmans-Lippens expedition explored the area in 1951 and its finds were published by E. Anati in 1969-1972; the Saudi Department of Antiquities turned to the site after 1976, and one researcher recorded 250 images west of the ancient wells. In July 2021 Bir Hima became part of the Hima Cultural Area World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions).

Highlights

• The rock art panels - hunting scenes and animals cut over millennia.
• Ancient inscriptions - texts in Musnad, Thamudic, Nabataean and other scripts.
• The wells - the water sources that made the route usable.
• The caravan route - the desert corridor the site records.

When to go

October to April; the area is severely hot in summer with no shade. Low sun early or late makes the carvings readable. Visits are arranged through Najran and require transport.

Practical notes

Access is by arranged visit rather than open, and the panels are spread over a wide area needing a vehicle. Carvings are hard to read in flat light. There are no facilities on site. Site development has been ongoing.

Nearby

Najran lies south; the Empty Quarter is east.

Key facts