This paper examines three Safaitic graffiti recently discovered during a survey of the Wādī Salmā area in the ḥarrah desert, north-eastern Jordan. While one of these texts consists exclusively of... Show moreThis paper examines three Safaitic graffiti recently discovered during a survey of the Wādī Salmā area in the ḥarrah desert, north-eastern Jordan. While one of these texts consists exclusively of onomastica, the other two contain new references to the Ḥwlt tribe, one of which is in a prayer asking Dushara to avenge the Nabataeans against them. This provides further evidence of a conflict that took place between the Nabataeans and the Ḥwlt, a mysterious event that has recently been brought to attention by Sabri Abbadi. The decipherment of the texts is followed by an updated list of the documents referring to this war and by some remarks on its historical context. The question that is asked is whether it could have occurred during the Nabataean takeover of northern Arabia during the first century bc. Show less
This group of inscriptions was found at several sites southwest of Taymāʾ, on the way to Al-ʿUlā. They were discovered by Dr Bader al-Faqayr, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography,... Show moreThis group of inscriptions was found at several sites southwest of Taymāʾ, on the way to Al-ʿUlā. They were discovered by Dr Bader al-Faqayr, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, King Saud University during his geographical survey of the province, in the spring of 2008. The study of these fifteen inscriptions provides twenty-three personal names; four of them occur for the first time in Nabataean inscriptions. They provided us with thirteen lexical items, two of which are attested for the second time in Nabataean inscriptions: gʾyʾ ‘the tailor’ and yhwdyʾ ‘the Jew’. Show less
This paper aims to study new Islamic epigraphical material found in the Jordanian Badia. These inscriptions include one hadith and one inscription dating to the thirteenth century ce / eighth... Show moreThis paper aims to study new Islamic epigraphical material found in the Jordanian Badia. These inscriptions include one hadith and one inscription dating to the thirteenth century ce / eighth century ah. This study will highlight the relationship between the place where the inscriptions were found and the early Islamic mosque also said to be located there. The purpose of this article is to publish images of the newly-found inscriptions, give a translation, and provide some commentary. This article considers the definition of Islamic inscription to be all Arabic inscriptions written since Islamic times. Show less
The core goal of this paper is to bring to light and study the significance of a recently discovered Islamic inscription, found in the northeastern desert region of Jordan. This inscription has... Show moreThe core goal of this paper is to bring to light and study the significance of a recently discovered Islamic inscription, found in the northeastern desert region of Jordan. This inscription has subsequently been placed in the care of the Al-Mafraq Antiquities Office and Museum for its own safety and in order to protect its historic authenticity. The inscription itself has proved to be incredibly valuable as it provides further information on the climatic and environmental conditions during the 14th century AD. Show less
Le Quellec, Jean-Loïc; Duquesnoy, Frédérique; Charpentier, Vincent; al-Mashani, Ali 2018
The present article re-edits three early Islamic inscriptions that exhibit an orthographic feature believed to represent the glottal stop (hamz). Overall, this orthographic device (referred to as ... Show moreThe present article re-edits three early Islamic inscriptions that exhibit an orthographic feature believed to represent the glottal stop (hamz). Overall, this orthographic device (referred to as ‘proto-hamza’) is employed four times in the three inscriptions, bringing the number of its known attestations to a grand total of nine. The article concludes by making some broad observations on the multifarious nature of the early Arabic writing tradition(s). Show less
This article presents four new Nabataean inscriptions from Umm el-Jimāl in north-eastern Jordan. The first text, which is dedicatory, is dated to year fifty-five of the Roman Province of Arabia, ad... Show moreThis article presents four new Nabataean inscriptions from Umm el-Jimāl in north-eastern Jordan. The first text, which is dedicatory, is dated to year fifty-five of the Roman Province of Arabia, ad 161. The second one mentions the dedication of a mqrtʾ ‘hollow basin’, a word that is not at- tested previously in the Nabataean inscriptions. The remaining two texts are tombstones whose shape and contents are similar to the previously published tombstones from the Ḥawrān region. Show less