An Overview of the Rock Art of AlUla: Tracing Changes in Content and Form Across 12,000 Years of Human History

Abstract

Between 2018 and 2021, the Identification and Documentation of Immovable Heritage Assets (IDIHA) Project recorded over 19,000 rock art panels in the AlUla (al-‘Ulā) region of north-western Saudi Arabia. This study presents a chronological assessment of the corpus, drawing on superimpositions, datable motifs, inscriptions, and varnish formation, alongside a diachronic analysis of recurring themes. The rock art of AlUla spans more than 12,000 years, from the early Holocene to the recent past, with notable peaks in production during the Neolithic and, more substantially, the Iron Age and ‘pre-Islamic’ periods. These temporal fluctuations contrast with patterns observed at other northern Arabian sites and likely reflect population increase in the AlUla valley during the first millennium BCE and CE. Scenes of Neolithic cattle herding, Iron Age camel caravans, and Islamic-era battles offer insight into the lived experiences and symbolic expressions of AlUla's inhabitants across millennia.