Jabal al-Safinah

Jabal al-Safinah is a sandstone mountain shaped by erosion to resemble a ship anchored on the sands. It is one of several rock formations and red plateaus scattered across the sandy Hisma Desert, which stretches across the northwestern part of Tabuk Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jabal al-Safinah is located eighty km west of Tabuk City and features Thamudic inscriptions on its rocky surfaces, dating back more than 2,600 years, as well as pre-Islamic Arabic writings. The mountain serves as a historical record of the province, with its drawings and inscriptions indicating the presence of various peoples and tribes that passed through it over the course of successive civilizations.

Jabal al-Safinah is situated among a group of rock formations in the middle of Hisma Desert, known for its red sands. This desert was a historical passage and station for caravans entering and exiting the Arabian Peninsula. Hisma Desert is bordered to the north by the Sharah Mountains, to the northwest by Wadi Araba, to the west by the Hejaz Mountains, and to the south by Harrat ar-Raha.

The Nabataeans and other Arab tribes settled in the Hisma Desert, as evidenced by the Nabataean inscriptions found on its rock surfaces. These inscriptions are written in the Hismaic dialect, which is similar to Nabataean in the way the letters are connected. The Hismaic script, considered one of the early forms of Arabic script, resembles the Safaitic script. Additionally, the inscriptions include phrases written in the Madani and early Kufi scripts without diacritical marks, dating back to the first century of the Hijra.

The Hisma Desert is estimated to be around five hundred million years old. Erosion over time has shaped the desert's entrances, forming sandstone and clay structures. The rock formations in its valleys also contain groundwater.

Jabal al-Safinah in Tabuk Province features a collection of inscriptions and writings. Notable among them is the phrase "O Allah, forgive the great sin of Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Bin Nafi', the freedman of Abu Huraira," dated 738. Another inscription reads, "I am Umar bin Suwayd, and I advise every knowledgeable person to benefit others with their knowledge."

Jabal al-Safinah can be reached by traveling west from Tabuk City along the Tabuk-Duba road. A paved road runs alongside the mountain, also providing access to other archaeological and historical sites in the region.