Jubba

Jubbah is an oasis in the great Nafud sand desert, north of Ha'il. Its water and cultivated ground stand amid shifting dunes, while the nearby mountain of Umm Sinman preserves a remarkable record of earlier inhabitants. Its rock faces once overlooked a freshwater lake, long since vanished. People carved figures and inscriptions into the stone over many centuries, leaving images of animals, hunters and riders in a landscape transformed by aridity.

The carvings belong to several periods. Some of the oldest depict long-horned cattle and human figures, recalling a time when the land around the lake supported a different range of animals. Later images include camels and horses, hunting scenes and weapons, while inscriptions were cut into the rock alongside them. Jubbah also served as a stopping place for caravans travelling through northern Arabia, where its oasis offered a welcome source of water among the sands.