Arabian Rock Art Heritage

The Application of Advanced Imaging Technology to Saudi Arabian Rock Art

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  • Dhabiya rider with saddle blanket, Ha’il

    • Jebel Arnan horse herd, Ha’il

      • Misme rider on saddle blanket, Ha’il

        • Yatib horse and rider, Ha’il

          • Ha’il Region

            The province of Ha’il is incredibly rich in rock art, with major and minor sites sprinkled over much of its territory. Around the modern city of Ha’il, countless individual rock outcrops containing only one or two panels of art can be found. The predominant subjects of these are horses and camels. The areas around Shamli, 170 km south of the city of Ha’il, and Yatib, about 35 km [...]

            • Dhabiya 2, near Shamli, Ha’il Province

              Dhabiya 2, located near the town of Shamli, in Ha'il Province, has several panels with Arabian horses and riders that are very well executed.

              • Sandra Olsen in Ha’il

                English subtitles with Arabic transcript.

                • Dhabiya, near Shamli, Ha’il Province

                  Dhabiya is an attractive locality that has three individual panels separated by several meters. They all show very finely executed Arabian horses. This panel is the most interesting in that it has a man seated on a horse that is wearing a saddle blanket.

                  • Hisan Arnan, Ha’il Province

                    Hisan Arnan, in Ha'il Province, is a large sandstone block with one face heavily packed with figures and writing.

Stories in the Rocks

Saudi Arabia possesses world-class rock art in a dazzling desert landscape replete with majestic natural formations. Stories in the Rocks: Exploring Saudi Arabian Rock Art is a beautifully illustrated book written in an easily accessible manner. Its goal is to enlighten readers about the records created by ancient artists on the sandstone cliffs and outcrops distributed widely down Saudi Arabia from north to south.

Layan Cultural Foundation Project

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© Sandra L. Olsen