Al-`Ula
Encyclopedia
The Al-`Ula oasis
(also Al Ola, Arabic ; Also Dedan), some 110 km southwest of Tayma
(380 km north of Medina
) in northwestern Arabia was located at the incense route.
It was the capital of the ancient Lihyan
ites (Dedanites). It is well known for archaeological remnants, some over 2000 years old.
the king of Babylonia
made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BC or somewhat later, conquering Tayma
, Dedan
and Yathrib, the old Medina.
It is thought that around the turn to the fifth century BC the kingdom became hereditary.
The next four hundred years, until around 100 BC, were the time of the Kingdom of Lihyan. The Nabataeans
were the lords of the region at least until 106 CE when the Romans
conquered their capital Petra
. The Nabataeans made Hegra, the modern Mada'in Saleh, their second capital. The power center of the region thus shifted to Hegra some 22 km to the north of Al-`Ula.
Muhammad
passed through Al-`Ula in 630 on his campaign to Tabuk
. Al-Mabiyat some 20 km away near Mughaira became the next commercial center of the region. It thrived from around 650 until it declined at some time before 1230.
In the 13th century the old city of Al-`Ula was built and many stones of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite ruins were reused. Al-`Ula now became the major settlement of the region again until modern times. A railway station was built for the Hejaz railway in 1901-08. The railway line was built through the western part of Al-Khuraiba some twelve kilometers to the north of the old medieval town which is believed to be the site of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite town. In the 20th century the new town center was established beside the old town and eventually the people left the old buildings. The last family is said to have left in 1983, while the last service in the old mosque was held in 1985. Both the ruins of the medieval town and the site of the Liyhanite settlement now lay within the limits of the modern town.
The first European traveler of modern times to describe the town was Charles Doughty in 1876. Charles Huber was in Al-`Ula in 1881–82. He returned in 1883 accompanied by Julius Euting.
French explorers A. Jaussen and R .Savignac visited the region in 1909 and again in 1910 copying inscriptions and exploring the ruins.
In 1968 a team of archaeologists from the University of London investigated some fifteen inscriptions.
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
(also Al Ola, Arabic ; Also Dedan), some 110 km southwest of Tayma
Tayma
Tayma is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Yathrib and Dumah begins to cross the Nefud desert...
(380 km north of Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
) in northwestern Arabia was located at the incense route.
It was the capital of the ancient Lihyan
Lihyan
Lihyan is an ancient Arab kingdom. It was located in northwestern Arabia, and is known for its Old North Arabian inscriptions dating to ca...
ites (Dedanites). It is well known for archaeological remnants, some over 2000 years old.
History
The older history of the oasis has been divided into several phases. The Dedanite kingdom spans to the seventh and sixth century BC. Dedan is mentioned in the "Harran Inscriptions". In these it is told how NabonidusNabonidus
Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE.-Historiography on Nabonidus:...
the king of Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
made a military campaign to northern Arabia in 552 BC or somewhat later, conquering Tayma
Tayma
Tayma is a large oasis with a long history of settlement, located in northwestern Saudi Arabia at the point where the trade route between Yathrib and Dumah begins to cross the Nefud desert...
, Dedan
Dedan
The word Dedan means "low ground". The people are called Dedanim or Dedanites.In the Bible, it can refer to either:* A son of Raamah . His descendants are mentioned in Isaiah 21:13, Ezekiel 25:13 and Ezekiel 27:15...
and Yathrib, the old Medina.
It is thought that around the turn to the fifth century BC the kingdom became hereditary.
The next four hundred years, until around 100 BC, were the time of the Kingdom of Lihyan. The Nabataeans
Nabataeans
Thamudi3.jpgThe Nabataeans, also Nabateans , were ancient peoples of southern Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus , gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea...
were the lords of the region at least until 106 CE when the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
conquered their capital Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
. The Nabataeans made Hegra, the modern Mada'in Saleh, their second capital. The power center of the region thus shifted to Hegra some 22 km to the north of Al-`Ula.
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
passed through Al-`Ula in 630 on his campaign to Tabuk
Battle of Tabouk
The Battle of Tabouk was a military expedition, which, according to Muslim biographies, was initiated by the Prophet Muhammad in October, AD 630. Muhammad led a force of as many as 30,000 north to Tabouk in present-day northwestern Saudi Arabia, with the intention of engaging the Byzantine army...
. Al-Mabiyat some 20 km away near Mughaira became the next commercial center of the region. It thrived from around 650 until it declined at some time before 1230.
In the 13th century the old city of Al-`Ula was built and many stones of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite ruins were reused. Al-`Ula now became the major settlement of the region again until modern times. A railway station was built for the Hejaz railway in 1901-08. The railway line was built through the western part of Al-Khuraiba some twelve kilometers to the north of the old medieval town which is believed to be the site of the old Dedanite and Lihyanite town. In the 20th century the new town center was established beside the old town and eventually the people left the old buildings. The last family is said to have left in 1983, while the last service in the old mosque was held in 1985. Both the ruins of the medieval town and the site of the Liyhanite settlement now lay within the limits of the modern town.
The first European traveler of modern times to describe the town was Charles Doughty in 1876. Charles Huber was in Al-`Ula in 1881–82. He returned in 1883 accompanied by Julius Euting.
French explorers A. Jaussen and R .Savignac visited the region in 1909 and again in 1910 copying inscriptions and exploring the ruins.
In 1968 a team of archaeologists from the University of London investigated some fifteen inscriptions.
Further reading
- Abdul Rahman Ansary, Ḥusayn Abu Al-Ḥassān, The civilization of two cities: Al-ʻUlā & Madāʼin Sāliḥ, 2001, ISBN 9960930106, ISBN 9789960930107
External links
- http://pr.sv.net/aw/2005/April/english/history.htm
- http://nabataea.net/dedan.html
- http://www.arac.com.sa/english/ola.html