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]
Related people
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]
Related topics
- HistoricRock Art of HailThe Rock Art of Hail is a World Heritage property in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2015, comprising the largest rock art complexes in the Arabian Peninsula with engravings spanning about 10,000 years.
- HistoricAlUla Old TownAlUla Old Town is a historic settlement in the centre of AlUla Governorate, preserving an earthen urban fabric of hundreds of houses, markets and historic passageways. It was selected among the Best Tourism Villages in the World for 2022.
- HistoricKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature ReserveKing Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve is a royal nature reserve in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the largest reserve in the Middle East, with a total area of 130,700 square kilometres extending across four administrative regions. It contains broad biodiversity and rock art sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- HistoricJabal Al-LawzJabal Al-Lawz is a mountain peak in north-western Saudi Arabia, located within the Madyan Mountains in the Tabuk region and rising 2,580 metres above sea level. It is known for the snow that settles on its summit in winter, and it contains rock carvings dating back more than ten thousand years.
- HistoricWadi BishaWadi Bisha is a wadi among the largest of the Arabian Peninsula, in Bisha Governorate in the Asir Region, and its length exceeds 450 kilometres. King Fahd Dam stands on its course with a storage capacity of 325 million cubic metres, and along its banks are date-palm cultivation, the 'Al-Sifri' dates, and rock carvings numbering more than 10,000.
- EventAl-AkhdoodAl-Akhdood is an archaeological site in the Najran Region of south-western Saudi Arabia. It represents the ancient city of Najran and its commercial market on the caravan route, is associated with the story of the Companions of the Trench mentioned in the Holy Quran, and today stands as a living open-air museum welcoming visitors.
- HistoricElephant Rock (Jabal AlFil)Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) is a massive rock formation in AlUla Governorate, in the Madinah Region. Resembling an elephant in form and rising about 52 metres above ground, it is one of the most prominent geological landmarks and tourist destinations in AlUla [1][2].
- HistoricMarayaMaraya Concert Hall is a building and theatre in Wadi Ashar in AlUla Governorate, north-west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recorded by Guinness World Records as the largest mirrored building in the world. Its facade is clad in 9,740 square metres of mirrors, and its indoor theatre seats more than 500.
- RegionNajran CityNajran City is a Saudi city in the southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the banks of Wadi Najran. It contains the Hima Cultural Area inscribed on the World Heritage List, the Al-Ukhdood archaeological site, and the Wadi Najran Dam, the largest dam in the Kingdom.
- EventKingdom of KindaThe Kingdom of Kinda was an ancient Arabian entity built on a federal organisation of Arabian desert tribes, with the archaeological city of Qaryat al-Faw in Wadi ad-Dawasir Governorate as its capital. The Cultural Landscape of the Al-Faw Archaeological Area was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2024 CE, and it is managed by the Heritage Commission of the Ministry of Culture and the National Centre for Wildlife.