Saudi academics identify how Arabic language developed from ancient inscriptions

Arab News

16-04-2025

RIYADH: Saudi academics have identified how the Arabic language developed from ancient inscriptions found in the north of the Kingdom.
A lecture at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University revealed that the diversity of writings from ancient civilizations — from Thamudic to Nabataean — reflects Arab interaction with neighboring civilizations dating back to the third century BC.
They also confirmed that modern Arabic script emerged from the Nabataean script in the historic towns of Tayma and AlUla (northwestern Saudi Arabia).
Dr. Sulaiman Al-Theeb, a retired professor of ancient Arabic writing at King Saud University, said that the great diversity of inscriptions reflects how Arabs have interacted with neighboring cultures since ancient times.
Al-Theeb, who is an adviser at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, in a speech said: 'These writings abound in various regions of the Kingdom and include other dialects such as Thamudic, Aramaic, Sabaean, Minaean, Safaitic and Dadanic.
'They document a rich history and cultural interaction with neighboring cultures such as Assyrian, Babylonian, Hebrew, and Greek,' he said.
At the beginning of his talk, Al-Theeb touched on the relationship between language and writing, and their origins.
He explained how the Nabataean script developed in Tayma before transforming into the Arabic script found in AlUla at the beginning of the first century AD.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Asmari, who is vice rector for education affairs at IMSIU, emphasized the university's commitment to strengthening international academic cooperation.
'We believe in the importance of partnering with international academic institutions to explore human cultural heritage, as these partnerships provide unique opportunities for the exchange of expertise and knowledge,' he said.
IMSIU 'places special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies that connect heritage and contemporary studies based on our belief that understanding the past is the key to building the future,' he said.
'We are working to strengthen this vision through joint research programs and researcher exchanges with prestigious international universities,' Al-Asmari added.
Dr. Khaled Al-Khara'n, dean of the College of Arabic Language at IMSIU, said: 'Arabic is not merely a means of communication, but rather a cultural channel that carries within it a rich human heritage and unique characteristics that make it one of the world's richest and most influential languages.
'The college seeks to uncover more of the Arabic language's potential in many areas through specialized academic programs and leveling impact of this on its civilizational role and interaction with other languages, with a focus on the cognitive and applied aspects that make it one of the main languages ​​in the world,' Al-Khara'n said.