دُومَة ٱلْجَنْدَل | |
 The ruins of the ancient city ofAdummatu | |
  Shown within Saudi Arabia | |
| Location | Al Jawf Province,Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°48′41″N39°52′06″E / 29.81139°N 39.86833°E /29.81139; 39.86833 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Part of |  Saudi Arabia |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Public access | yes |
Dumat al-Jandal (Arabic:دُومَة ٱلْجَنْدَل,romanized: Dūmat al-Jandal,lit. 'Dumah of the Stone',pronounced[ˈduːmatalˈdʒandal]), also known asAl-Jawf orAl-Jouf (Arabic:ٱلْجَوْف,lit. 'depression'),[1][clarification needed] which refers toWadi Sirhan, is an ancient city of ruins and the historical capital of theAl Jawf Province, today in northwesternSaudi Arabia. It is located 37 km fromSakakah.
The city stood north of theNafud desert and at one end of Wadi Sirhan, at a major intersection of ancient trade routes part what is known as theincense route, with one branch linking the various sources of valuable goods in India and southernArabia withBabylon, and another linking thePersian Gulf through Wadi Sirhan with southern Syria.[2] It has a historical boundary wall[dubious –discuss] and stands within an oasis.[3][better source needed]
The ancient city of Duma was described as "the stronghold of the Arabians" on theNeo-AssyrianEsarhaddon Prism (cuneiforms on clay prism, 673-672 BC).[4]
Some scholars identify this site as territory ofDumah, one of the twelve sons ofIshmael mentioned in theBook of Genesis.[5]
The name Dumat al-Jandal means literally "Dumah of the Stone"; the name Al-Jawf means "depression", referring to Wadi Sirhan. The city's ancientAkkadian name wasAdummatu.[citation needed]
TheAntiquity journal published in June 2020 the discovery of a 35-meter long triangular megalithic stone platform surrounded by burials and dating back to the 6th millennium BCE, presumably dedicated to ritual practices. Archaeological researchers fromFrance, Saudi Arabia andItaly, headed by Olivia Munoz, believe that these findings illuminate a pastoralist nomadic lifestyle and a ritual used in prehistoric Arabia.[6][7]
The city has a history dating back to the 10th century BC and is mentioned inAkkadian inscriptions of theNeo-Assyrian Empire dating to 845 BCE, in which it is referred to asAdummatu and is described as the capital of anArab kingdom sometimes named asQedar (Qidri). The names of five powerfulArab queens that ruled this city are known, among themZabibe,Šamši,Tabūʿa, andTeʾelḫunu. The latter is also given the title of high priestess ofAtarsamain, adeity of fertility, love and war associated withIshtar. Dūmah was the site of an important temple dedicated to Ishtar.[8]
This town is perhaps intended in a passage fromIsaiah:
The "Dumah" Pronouncement.
A call comes to me fromSeir:
"Watchman, what of the night?
Watchman, what of the night?"The watchman replied,
"Morning came, and so did night.
If you would inquire, inquire.
Come back again."
Sacrifices of animals were common andPorphyry'sDe Abstenentia (3rd century AD) reports that in Dūmah, a boy was sacrificed annually and was buried underneath an altar. Some scholars have extrapolated this practice to the rest of the Nabataeans.[9]
Excavations made by Khaleel Ibrahim al-Muaikel in 1986 added to observations made in 1976 that a homogeneous layer ofRoman-Nabataean potterysherds indicating a prosperous community during the time of the Nabataeans, to whose realm this part of the region probably belonged.[10]
In AD 106,Dumatha was incorporated into the Roman Empire by EmperorTrajan, after annexing theNabataean Kingdom.[clarification needed]
Dumatha remained integral to theLimes Arabicus for over four centuries, serving as the easternmost settlement along thelimes. In AD 269, the place was mentioned byZenobia, the Queen ofPalmyra, as city with an immune fortress. After her forces had captured the city, theMarid Castle withstood the attack in her revolt against the Romans.[clarification needed] Later in the fifth century, the city became the capital of thekingdom of Kinda.[citation needed]
The ancient oasis town was among a number of cities that the Pre-Islamic Arabs would travel to as part of the sequence of market fairs held annually. In contrast to the other market cities, Duma was characterized by its disputed political sovereignty between Arab clients of theByzantines andSasanians that made claims to it. The markets of Duma specialized in slavery and prostitution with theBanu Kalb, the dominant tribal group in the area, being known to practice slavery more than other tribes.[11]
In 2017, aPaleo-Arabic Christian graffito discovered near al-Jawf and dating to AD 548/9, known as theDumat al-Jandal inscription, was published. The inscription reads "May be remembered. May God remember Ḥgʿ{b/n}w son of Salama/Sa-lāma/Salima {in} the m[onth] (gap) year 443 [AD 548/549]."[12]
Due to its strategic location, the city had been the object of no fewer than three raids. It lay about fifteen days march north from Medina and about half that distance from Damascus.[13]
Muhammad ordered theExpedition of Dumat al-Jandal in July 626.[14] Muhammad had received intelligence that some tribes there were involved in highway robbery and preparing to attack Medina itself.[15] No casualties were reported; theGhaṭafān fled.[15]
He also ordered theExpedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (Dumatul Jandal), which took place in October 630[16] to attack the Christian prince of Duma,[17] as well as theExpedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (2nd Dumatul Jandal) in April 631[18][19] to demolish an idol calledWadd,[19][20] worshipped by the Banu Kalb tribe.[21] In 630,Khalid ibn al-Walid captured Dumat al-Jandal and it became part of the newly formed Islamic empire.
Umar Mosque (wrongly attributed to CaliphUmar) is situated in Dumat al-Jandal. The mosque was built in 634–644. However, the actual construction appears to have been a much earlier period as a church. Some scholars believe that the mosque was named after the Banu Umar, a tribe that settled in Dumat al-Jandal.[citation needed]
The north (qibla) wall[clarification needed] of the mosque faces the Marid Fort across a street. On its other three sides, it is surrounded by dense urban fabric. Like any other old town mosque, the stone construction comprises a courtyard preceding the main prayer hall to the south and another space, also used for prayer, to the north. The minaret is at the southwest corner of the prayer hall bridging over a street. The mosque is entered through a door situated in the qibla wall, near the minaret.[clarification needed] The prayer hall is formed by three rows of stonepillars, running parallel to the qibla wall. The pillars are all by woodenlintels,[clarification needed] which in turn support layers of stone that are roofed by mud-plasteredacacia and palm trunks.[citation needed]
Themihrab is a narrow, corbelled niche in the center of the qibla wall, and is defined by a similar niche with three built-in stone steps to its right. The mihrab, the minbar, and the lower part of the qibla wall are plastered with white wash. Viewed from the outside, one sees that the mihrab and minbar protrude slightly out of the qibla wall. Also visible is an exposed stone staircase constructed along the qibla wall from the street side that reaches the roof. The minaret shaft has a rectangular shape that tapers upward to end in a pyramidal form. The four internal floors of the shaft were accessed by a now-collapsed spiral staircase entered from within the mosque. On each side of the minaret, and on each floor, a rectangular window with a stone lintel provides lighting for its interior.[citation needed]
Al Dar'i Quarter is located in the neighborhood of Omar bin al-Khatab Mosque and Marid fortress, which represent the old quarter of Dumat al-Jandal. Al-Dar'i Quarter is considered to be one of the remaining antiquities of Dumat al-Jandal's ancient city, which has escaped the demolition shovels befalling the historical market of Dumat al-Jandal 25 years ago.[when?] Dr. Khalil Al Meaigil has stated that, the facilities of the quarter, which date back to the middle Islamic age, have been established on ancient layers dating back to the mid-first millennium BC.[citation needed]
The neighborhood is characterized by the stone buildings and stone lanes between the gardens and by the water, which made life possible for the residents who lived near by the springs. In the Al-Dar'i Quarter, there are many houses that archaeologists hope will enjoy the necessary care and restoration.[citation needed]
In Dumat Al-Jandal, there is a desert climate. Most rain falls in the winter. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is BWh. The average annual temperature in Dumat Al-Jandal is 22.2 °C (72.0 °F). About 59 mm (2.32 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Dumat Al-Jandal | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) | 18.7 (65.7) | 23.2 (73.8) | 29.0 (84.2) | 33.7 (92.7) | 37.3 (99.1) | 38.8 (101.8) | 38.9 (102.0) | 37.6 (99.7) | 32.3 (90.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 17.2 (63.0) | 28.8 (83.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.8 (38.8) | 6.4 (43.5) | 9.9 (49.8) | 15.7 (60.3) | 20.4 (68.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.9 (78.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 5.1 (41.2) | 15.8 (60.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 10 (0.4) | 3 (0.1) | 8 (0.3) | 13 (0.5) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 10 (0.4) | 6 (0.2) | 8 (0.3) | 59 (2.3) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org, Climate data | |||||||||||||
Column 4: "Adumutu (is) the strong city of the Arabians, which Sennacherib, king of Assyria, the father, my begetter, had conquered"
| Main Saudi Arabian cities by population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000 and more | |
| 300,000-999,999 | |
| <300,000 | |
Source:cdsi.gov.sa | |
