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Safaitic

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Ancient North Arabian script preserving names and prayers; not one uniform creed.

BES19s 77.1, Firʿ Wadi al-Khudari, Mafraq, Jordan. Its reading invokes Allat and then Allah. This photograph shows stone and writing; animal and human drawings are not identified as depictions of these deities. Original preserved without cropping or alteration
BES19s 77.1, Firʿ Wadi al-Khudari, Mafraq, Jordan. Its reading invokes Allat and then Allah. This photograph shows stone and writing; animal and human drawings are not identified as depictions of these deities. Original preserved without cropping or alterationImage © Ahmad Al-Jallad; OCIANA, BES19s 77.1 · CC BYImage source

Text

The script has 28 consonantal signs and variable writing directions. Its conventional range is roughly first century BCE to fourth century CE, with indications of earlier origins; this does not date every object. [1]

Absent vowels can complicate pronunciation, making the Greek correspondence in WH 1860 useful. The actual Safaitic photograph does not identify its drawings as Allah or AllatAllatName of an ancient Arabian deity, attested in inscriptions and mentioned in the Quran.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. [2][3]

References and notes

  1. OCIANA. “Safaitic.” 28 consonantal signs, variable direction; conventional first century BCE–fourth CE range with evidence suggesting earlier origins, not each object’s date. Return to the text ↑
  2. OCIANA. “WH 1860 / WH Greek 2.” Editors A. Al-Jallad and M. C. A. Macdonald. Greek ΟΥΑΒΑΛΛΑΣ and Safaitic whblh; same writer is likely, not certain. Return to the text ↑
  3. Ahmad Al-Jallad / OCIANA. “BES19s 77.1.” Updated 25 June 2026. Firʿ Wadi al-Khudari, Jordan: Allat then Lh; drought explanation is commentary, and ʿbdt does not identify which Obodas here. Original image © Al-Jallad, CC BY as stated, no version number supplied. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Safaitic», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/safaitic