The Antiquities of Wadi Tathlith

The Antiquities of Wadi Tathlith comprise a collection of historical artifacts located in Wadi Tathlith, in Tathlith Governorate, Aseer Province, southwestern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The valley is one of the well-known valleys in the Kingdom, frequently mentioned in literary works, historical texts, and geographical dictionaries due to its significant archaeological inscriptions and prominent historical and heritage sites. Wadi Tathlith is a notable site that combines rock art with Thamudic inscriptions.

Historically, Wadi Tathlith emerged as an important location due to its role as a passage along ancient trade routes and its proximity to Qaryat al-Faw and Najran. Nearby, the Muraighan Mountains are renowned for their ancient Arabic inscriptions, such as the inscription of Abraha. The valley is also notable for its numerous wells and the settlements scattered along its banks

The rock art and ancient Arabic inscriptions in Wadi Tathlith carry functional significance. Discoveries and excavations have revealed a recurring pattern in the types of inscriptions and rock art, indicating that the area was a pastoral environment for various animals such as ostriches, camels, cattle, ibex, gazelles, horses, and some predators, along with other wild birds. Additionally, the site features a variety of human depictions in different forms and styles.

The valley also features prominent human depictions, which sometimes appear as simple drawings of a person with limbs and extremities, either standing or riding an animal. Some of these illustrations depict people dressed in battle attire, likely for a hunting expedition.

The valley contains a notable rock art depiction of a female figure carved deeply into the rock, as well as illustrations of groups in scenes depicting enslavement.

The drawings and inscriptions found in Wadi Tathlith differ from those at other historical sites; they are distinguished by their precision and the detailed depiction of human figures, which are often rendered on a large scale.

Wadi Tathlith includes the Arawa Mountains, located southeast of Tathlith Governorate, and the Yahra Mountains, which are significant sites in the valley. These mountains are situated along the paths of ancient caravan routes that traveled from southern Arabia towards the north, reaching the markets of the ancient Arab kingdoms, as well as central and eastern Arabia. These caravans were primarily laden with goods such as frankincense and incense.

Near Wadi Tathlith, there is the archaeological site of al-Maqar, one of the locations that provides evidence that the domestication of horses first began in Arabia. This is supported by the discovery of large horse statues associated with archaeological materials dating back to the Neolithic period, approximately nine thousand years ago. This finding challenges previous studies that suggested the first domestication of horses occurred in central Asia around 5,500 years ago.