Ḥimā Cultural Area
The Hima cultural area is located in the arid mountains of southwestern Saudi Arabia, on one of the ancient caravan routes of the Arabian Peninsula, and contains a rich collection of rock art depicting hunting, animals, plants and lifestyles over 7,000 years of cultural continuity. Throughout the ages, until the end of the 20th century, travelers and armies camped at the site left behind a large number of rock inscriptions and petroglyphs, most of which are well preserved. The inscriptions are written in different scripts, including Musnad, Aramaic-Nabataean, South Arabian, Taimudic, Greek and Arabic. The property and its buffer zone also contain a rich collection of unexcavated archaeological resources, including cairns, stone structures, tombs, scattered stone tools and ancient wells. The site is the oldest known toll station on an important ancient desert caravan route, and the Bi'r Ḥimā well here is at least 3,000 years old and still produces fresh water.