Thread by @Safaitic

Last week, we looked at ancient Arabian pilgrimages and sacrifice in the #Safaitic inscriptions. If you missed that, see this thread: . Now, let's have a glance at pilgrimages in the ancient Ḥigāz, represented by the Dadānitic inscriptions.

Dadān was the ancient name of the oasis of al-Ula, in NW Ḥigāz. It is mentioned in cuneiform sources and the Bible, and was a center for the kings of Liḥyān, before it was eventually annexed by the Nabataeans. Pic: saminaik.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/alula_…

The oasis had its own script and language, Dadānitic. Its primary deity was called ḏġbt. The etymology of the name is uncertain. ḏ = ḏū 'master'. Some say ġbt = Arabic ġābat- 'oasis'; others have taken it as ġēbat 'unseen', = 'master of the unseen'. Insc: Al-Ḫuraybah 12.

The inscriptions record many religious rituals involving ḏġbt. His sanctuary, it seems, located nearby, to which the faithful <ḥaggag> 'made pilgrimages'. They recorded their pilgrimages on rock for public display. Unfortunately, most of these texts are badly damaged

E.g. AH 221 (selection): Maʿnān of the family of Yaʿfān and Rb made a pilgrimage and an offering ... four ... the high place at the sanctuary...
1: ---- ḏ mnʿn/ʿ----h 2: ---- ʾl/ḏ yfʿn/w 3: ----rb/ḥggw/w
4: ----r/w ʾġnmw/l 5: ---- tn/ʾrbʿ/ʾ 6: ---- h- nq/b- h- mṣ– 7: [d]

AH 129: Pilgrimages were performed for the sake of a single deity, ḏġbt.
ʿbdlwy, the oracle and Sṭ (?) of ḏʿmn performed the pilgrimage for the sake of ḏġbt at Khl, perhaps the ancient name of this area. <1:ʿbdlwy 2: h- q{s¹}m/w s¹ṭ 3: ḏʿmn/ḥggw[/][l-] 4: ḏġbt/b- khl>

Pilgrimages could be performed for others, similar to the proxy Ḥajj today. AH 206: 'she performed the pilgrimage at Khl on their behalf so may he (the deity) grant them and their offspring favor' <ḥgt ʿl-hm b-khl f-rd-hm w ʾḫrt-hm>

The pilgrimage involved several rituals, but the Dadanitic language remains in some ways poorly understood. In Al-Udhayb 75, two men first offer(?) <ʾaggaw> a ẓnfss and then <ḥggw ḏġbt b- khl> 'make the pilgrimage at Khl for ḏġbt'. Is ẓnfss a kind of sacrifice? An object?

Men and women performed pilgrimages and they could last for several days. AH 217: wʾl and s²nʾh{ʾ}ktb and his mother Bd made a pilgrimage for the sake of Ḫrg (?) lasting two days at the sanctuary. The meaning of Ḫrg is unclear -- some have suggested it is the name of a god.

Despite these records, we do not know when or why the faithful made pilgrimages to Khl or from how far they came. These texts likely date to latter 1/2 of the 1st millen. BCE. The god ḏġbt disappears after the Nabataean takeover, and no memory survives in Islamic-period sources.

For everything you want to know about Dadanitic and its writing culture, stay tuned for @Folk_Kootstra's masterful dissertation on the subject. Saudi archaeologists continue to work at the site of Dadān and their results will certainly help us understand these text better.

Next week, we will continue our journey south to look at pilgrimages in Ancient South Arabia.
Biblio: [AH] Abū ʾl-Ḥasan, Ḥ.ʿA.D. Nuqūš liḥyānīyah min minṭaqat al-ʿulā. (Dirāsah taḥlīliyyah muqāranah). al-Riyāḍ: Wizārat al-maʿārif, 2002. Pages: 99–103. <pls forgive ne typos>