The Arabian Peninsula: A cradle of ancient kingdoms

The anniversary of Saudi Founding Day seems like an apt time to reflect on the influential civilisations that have risen from the sand, powered by trade, cultural exchange, and Arab ingenuity.

Lina Jaradat

The Arabian Peninsula: A cradle of ancient kingdoms

Abdullah Al-Rashid

last update on 21 Feb 2025

Everyone interested in Arabic literature, poetry, and prose must familiarise themselves with the history of the Arabian Peninsula, its events, landscapes, and plains. That is the argument made in Abdulwahab Azzam’ book The Cradle of the Arabs. The great body of text cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the places, tribes, animals, narratives and nature of the Arabian lands.

Azzam asks if history ever known a nation that united within its dominion as many peoples and lands as the Arabs did, fostering unity and inspiring virtue, literature, knowledge, and industry. They did so for the sake of God and with the intention of reforming society and advancing civilisation, thus intertwining the Arab legacy with noble deeds, virtues, and honourable traditions.

Crossroads of civilisations

Today, the Arabian Peninsula remains a wellspring of vitality. Far from fading with time, the Arabs endure, the rivers continue to flow, and the sun continues to shine. The peninsula has never been just an expansive desert or barren wasteland, even though that is how it has often been portrayed.

It was a crossroads of civilisations, a thriving hub for caravan routes whose history is the transport of perfumes, gold, spices, copper, and textiles. Its fabric is of cultural exchange and prosperity, great kingdoms that carved their glory into the mountains and built cities that flourished with trade, giving rise to the arts.

This peninsula was home to a resourceful and creative people who mastered the land, carved out roads, and established kingdoms that thrived for centuries. It has always been a crossroads where cultures meet, ideas converge, and civilisations emerge.

It was here that humanity took its first steps towards settlement, agriculture, commerce, and architecture. The ingenuity of the Arab people left an enduring imprint on the ancient world. Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of Saudi Founding Day, we return to the roots of this land.

Al-Magar Civilisation

In the heart of the Arabian Peninsula is the Al-Magar region, one of the world’s oldest civilisations that emerged more than 9,000 years ago. This advanced pre-historic Najdi Arabian civilisation provides compelling evidence that the ancient Arab inhabitants were among the first to domesticate horses and other animals.

The Arabian Peninsula has always been a crossroads where cultures meet, ideas converge, and civilisations emerge

Along the banks of its valleys, the people of Al-Magar cultivated crops, used stone tools, and established an advanced self-sustaining agricultural society, cultivating grains such as wheat and barley and possibly certain legumes.

They also employed primitive irrigation techniques, including small canals and wells, demonstrating an early understanding of water management and conservation, channelling water to growing fields in the valleys and surrounding plains.

Dumat Al-Jandal

In the heart of northern Arabia, the Kingdom of Dumat Al-Jandal rose to prominence under the rule of King Jundub. It is from here that the earliest known written mention of the word 'Arabs' originates, from 2,800 years ago.

It appears in an inscription by the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III in 823 BCE, documenting his battle against the Aramean King of Damascus and his allies, which included Arab tribes led by Jundibu, described as 'the King of the Arabs'. This battle, known as the Battle of Qarqar, took place in what is now north-western Syria. It sheds light on the era, including its political alliances and the names of rulers.

The Kingdom of Dumat Al-Jandal was a thriving political and commercial hub, attracting caravans and serving as a meeting point for tribes. It became the capital of the earliest Arab kingdoms, fortified with imposing walls and bustling markets.

Arabia's gateway to the Levant and Mesopotamia, the city became a melting pot, with commerce and intellectual exchange attracting merchants and scholars alike. In many ways, it was the political heart of the ancient Arabs.

Kingdom of Qedar

In ancient times, the Kingdom of Qedar emerged as one of the most prominent Arabian kingdoms, extending its influence from northern Arabia to the Levant between the 9th and 2nd centuries BCE.

Named after Qedar, son of Ishmael, the kingdom played a significant political and military role, engaging in conflicts with the Assyrians, Persians, and Babylonians. Strategically positioned, Qedar flourished from the trade in incense, spices, fine textiles, and aromatic oils.

Strategically positioned, Qedar flourished from the trade in incense, spices, fine textiles, and aromatic oils

It was also renowned for its distinctive pottery production, intricate rock carvings, and expertise in camel and horse breeding, yet one of Qedar's most remarkable features was its powerful queens, among whom Queen Yatie stands out. Her name appears in Assyrian inscriptions, reflecting the significant role of women in governance.

These queens were known for their wisdom in state administration and diplomacy, negotiating with world powers, and despite its struggles against larger empires, Qedar preserved its legacy—a testament to the deep roots of Arabian civilisation.

Kingdom of Dilmun

On the shores of the Arabian Gulf around 5,000 years ago, the Kingdom of Dilmun emerged as a global trade gateway and strategic hub connecting Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Egypt. Its centre was in the Bahrain Islands and Tarut Island, in what is now Qatif.

There, bustling markets traded goods from India, Persia, and China, while ships laden with metals, timber, and perfumes would have been a regular sight. Yet Dilmun went from trading empire to legend. Sumerian texts referred to it as the Land of Immortality, where youth renewed and life began anew, a symbol of its prosperity and the high regard in which it was held by neighbouring civilisations.

Lihyan and the Nabataeans

In Al Ula, towering rock formations stand as silent witnesses to history. Among the kingdoms those rocks witnesses were of Lihyan, which left an enduring mark. Advanced farmers and traders known for their fertile lands, organised governance, and artistic achievements, the Lihyanites were also intellectuals who developed their own language, engraving their legacy onto the rocks.

Al Ula flourished as a vibrant cultural hub. Caravans converged and diverse cultures interacted, making it one of the most significant commercial centres of ancient Arabia. Further along the caravan routes, the ancient city of Madain Salih (Al-Hijr) tells the story of the Nabataean Kingdom, which mastered architecture, transforming mountains into palaces, stones into temples, and deserts into thriving cities.

The Nabataeans mastered architecture, turning mountains into palaces, stones into temples, and deserts into thriving cities

The Nabataeans were not only a formidable trading power but also brilliant engineers, pioneering advanced water conservation systems that enabled them to build flourishing communities in an unforgiving climate. By controlling key trade routes, they became masters of economic networks, governing the commercial pathways that linked southern and northern Arabia.

Arabia then and now

Among the most significant trade routes was that used for incense, which passed through Najran, Mecca, and Al Ula before reaching the Mediterranean ports, while the maritime Silk Road transformed the Arabian Gulf into a world gateway, Arabian ports welcoming ships from India and China.

In summary, the Arabian Peninsula has proven beyond doubt its pivotal role in shaping human civilisation, the land having given rise to global trade routes and great kingdoms, each forging their own distinct identity. The Arabian Peninsula today is no less magnificent than when legacies were carved in stone and inscriptions. This was never a marginal land. It was always the beating heart of the ancient world, a cradle of civilisation, and remains firmly at the centre of world affairs.

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