Project of Syriac Sources for the History and Civilization of the Arabs and Arabia

The Project of Syriac Sources for the History and Civilization of the Arabs and Arabia is a scientific project affiliated with the ‏King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah)‏. The project focuses on compiling and translating texts from Syriac heritage sources that are directly related to the history of the Arabian Peninsula, Arabs, and Islamic history. It was launched on August 4, 2022.

The project of Syriac Sources for the History and Civilization of the Arabs and Arabia aims to inventory and translate content mentioned in Syriac heritage resources, support, document, and study sources of the history and civilization of the Arabian Peninsula and Arabian and Islamic history from the third century to the thirteenth century, and empower male and female researchers, in addition to diversifying historical sources.

The project of Syriac Sources for the History and Civilization of the Arabs and Arabia is implemented over multiple stages, starting with inventorying Syriac heritage sources and the extraction of texts that are directly related to the history of Arabs, the ancient Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic history. The next stage focuses on creating a digital database that includes the original writings along with Arabic and English translations, allowing male and female researchers to broaden their cognitive information and diversify historical sources. Then, work begins on preparing a comprehensive study for each source, introducing the author, their era, and the importance of the source, followed by scientific commentary on the terms mentioned in texts and the inclusion of indexes for figures, places, peoples, and tribes, in addition to appendices that include maps, tables, and terminologies.

Since its launch, the project of Syriac Sources for the History and Civilization of the Arabs and Arabia has inventoried seventy-eight Syriac sources, with the oldest Syriac source referencing the Arabs dating back to the third century. This source provided significant economic aspects such as agriculture, trade, and seaports, among others, as well as valuable insights into the social life of the Arabs before Islam, including navigation and travel, circumcision, and food.

The sources also included important and early information about the rise of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH), and the Rashidun Caliphs—may Allah be pleased with them. The oldest one, written in 636, referenced the most significant cities before and after the rise of Islam, such as ‏‏al-Madinah al-Munawwarah‏‏ (Yathrib), ‏Makkah al-Mukarramah‏, al-Yamamah, Najran, Dawmat al-Jandal, and Taif, among others.