Tombs and Carvings


Saudi Arabia was once home to  the Nabateans.  This tribe of people is responsible for making the massive carved tombs of Petra in Jordan.  For those of you not familiar with these tombs,
the tomb called "The Treasury" was featured in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".

In Saudi Arabia, a large collection of tombs can be found in Madain Salih.  These are not in a valley like Petra is in Jordan, but carved into the hills that dot the landscape.  A smaller group of tombs can be found in a town called Al Bad, near the Gulf of Aqaba.  It is not easy to visit these areas, as you require special permission from the government to do so.

I have had the opportunity to visit Petra, and also to view the tombs in Al Bad through the fence the Ministry of Antiquities has erected around the site.

One can also find ancient carvings on the walls of valleys, and in the rocks that line dried-up riverbeds in the desert.  These were carved by ancient nomadic tribes.  Similar carvings have been found in Sub Saharan Africa.  You will see carvings of people, camels, antelopes, and animals that no longer exist in Saudi.
 
 
 

(Click on images for a larger view)

These are carvings of a foot, and of frogs.
 

This is a carving of an Ibix and of some jackals.  The Ibix were almost extinct until a few years ago when the Saudi Government established a breeding program.  Now they are slowly coming back.
 
 


Ancient writing.
 
 


An old mud brick house.
 


My friend Richard Russell and a stone engraved with pictures of Camels, Ibix, and people.
 


Stone Camels

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