SaudiSite
Rock Arts in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia
Date of Inscription: 2015Date of Inscription: 2015Geographical Coordinates: N28 0 38 E40 54 47Geographical Coordinates: N28 0 38 E40 54 47Geographical Coordinates: N28 0 38 E40 54 47Date of Inscription: 2015
This property includes two components situated in a desert landscape: Jabel Umm Sinman at Jubbah and the Jabal al-Manjor and Raat at Shuwaymis. A lake once situated at the foot of the Umm Sinman hill range that has now disappeared used to be a source of fresh water for people and animals in the southern part of the Great Narfoud Desert. The ancestors of today’s Arab populations have left traces of their passages in numerous petroglyphs and inscriptions on the rock face. Jabal al-Manjor and Raat form the rocky escarpment of a wadi now covered in sand. They show numerous representations of human and animal figures covering 10,000 years of history.
The Register of Architectural Heritage is an official list of archaeological sites that were recorded according to criteria of specific national, architectural and cultural importance, under the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage using Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to manage, store, and preserve data of these sites and buildings in a precise manner with the aim of identifying suitable preventive and protective measures to ensure their preservation and maintenance for future generations, as they form an integral part of the urban heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Architectural Heritage Asset Registration Value Chain: Core Activities: Discovery of an architectural heritage asset; nomination of the architectural heritage asset...
The Register of Architectural Heritage is an official list of archaeological sites that were recorded according to criteria of specific national, architectural and cultural importance, under the Law of Antiquities, Museums and Urban Heritage using Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to manage, store, and preserve data of these sites and buildings in a precise manner with the aim of identifying suitable preventive and protective measures to ensure their preservation and maintenance for future generations, as they form an integral part of the urban heritage of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Architectural Heritage Asset Registration Value Chain: Core Activities: Discovery of an architectural heritage asset; nomination of the architectural heritage asset...
Outstanding Universal Value
The serial property of the ‘Rock Art in the Hail Region’ is comprised of two components: Jabal Umm Sinman at Jubbah, located approximately 90 km northwest of the city of Hail, and Jabal Al-Manjor and Jabal Raat at Shuwaymis, approximately 250 km south of Hail. At Jabal Umm Sinman Jubbah, the ancestors of present-day Arabs left marks of their presence in numerous petroglyph panels and inscriptions within a landscape that once overlooked a freshwater lake; and at Jabal Al-Manjor and Jabal Raat, Shuwaymis, the large number of petroglyphs and inscriptions has been attributed to almost 10,000 years of human history within a valley with flowing water. Together, these components contain the biggest and richest rock art complexes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Processes of desertification from the mid-Holocene altered the local environmental context and patterns of human settlement in these areas, and these changes are expressed in the numerous petroglyph panels and rich inscriptions. The attributes of the property include the large number of petroglyphs, inscriptions, archaeological features and the environmental setting.
Authenticity and Safety
The Government of Saudi Arabia, and of the Hail Region provide substantial resources for the safeguarding of the two components of the property - Jabal Umm Sinman at Jubbah, and Jabal al-Manjor/Raat at Shuwaymis. The museum and antiquities office in Hail has responsibilities for the protection and management of rock art, inscriptions and archaeological sites in the region, and any noted interference or damage to rock art can be reported to the local police by site guards or citizens.
The authenticity of the serial property and each component is demonstrated by the diversity and the large number of petroglyphs located within the components at Jabal Umm Sinman and Jabal Al-Manjor and Raat, and that all have retained their original location, setting, materials, form, and design.
The authenticity of the serial property and each component is demonstrated by the diversity and the large number of petroglyphs located within the components at Jabal Umm Sinman and Jabal Al-Manjor and Raat, and that all have retained their original location, setting, materials, form, and design.