Rooted in history. Looking to the future.An independent knowledge project
Kingdom EncyclopediaSAUDI ARABIA · DISCOVER & EXPLORE
العربيةSearch

World Heritage site

Hima Cultural Area

One of the world's largest rock-art complexes, in Thar governorate north of Najran city, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.

Approved for publicationAvailable in Arabic and English
A rock carving of an ibex on dark stone at Jabal Hima in the Hima Cultural Area
Image credits
Image attribution: Inscriptions of Hima mountain1 — Heritage Commission, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AInscriptions_of_Hima_mountain1.jpg ; license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 . CMS derivative: converted to WebP at quality 85; proportionally resized within 2400 × 2400 without enlargement where needed. / نسخة CMS: تحويل إلى WebP بجودة 85 وتصغير تناسبي عند الحاجة ضمن 2400 × 2400 دون تكبير. · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
A rock carving of an ibex on dark stone at Jabal Hima in the Hima Cultural Area

Location and importance

The Hima Cultural Area lies in Thar governorate, about 130 km north of Najran city in Najran Region. Its remains reach back to the seventh millennium BCE, and it is one of the largest rock-art complexes in the world. [1]

A caravan station

The Hima wells were a station on caravan routes between south and north Arabia. The rock art shows hunting, herding and human figures alongside ancient scripts, including the inscription of King Yusuf As'ar Yath'ar recording his victory in 518 CE. [1]

World Heritage

At its 44th session on 24 July 2021 the World Heritage Committee inscribed the Hima Cultural Area on the World Heritage List. Its sites include Jabal Saidah, Jabal Hima and Jabal Al-Kawkab. [1]

Sources & references

  1. Saudipedia: Hima Cultural Area (Arabic)