ThePlace: KSA’s Hasma desert holds clues to ancient trade route, development of Arabic language

The desert of Hasma, with its red sand and mountains on the northwest side of the Tabuk region, boasts a natural beauty as well as deep historical and geological dimensions.
Hasma was a station on the ancient trade route to and from the Arabian Peninsula, with convoys and riders passing through it during successive civilizations. Its past explains the diversity and abundance of archaeological inscriptions that can be found on the rocks of its tall and dramatic mountains.
Hasma contains many writings and inscriptions, which indicate the importance of this area’s legacy for researchers in history and the development of the Arabic language.
The site was the first area where some Arabic inscriptions were discovered. These Arabic inscriptions were later known as the Hasma’i dialect, which is an Arabic dialect similar to the Nabataean dialect and is the first Arabic form of writing in which the letters are linked together as the Kufic script. The Hasma’i letter is similar to the Safaitic letter, but it has a different location and history.
These ancient pieces of evidence bear a legacy that reflect an aspect of the history of the Arabian Peninsula and its timeless language.