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Credits ... Islamic Exhibit
Links: The National Museum
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Department of
Anthropology ...
home page T he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rich in ancient inscriptions. They form a priceless resource for the study of the region's cultural and linguistic heritage. Throughout the country, inscriptions were etched, engraved, pecked, or even sometimes carved in bas-relief on stones or on the rock-faces of cliffs and hills. Epigraphy is the study of such texts, the science of deciphering and interpreting them. This "virtual exhibition" presents some examples of the Epigraphy Collections of the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, many published here for the first time. We present and examine 54 museum objects which bear examples of ancient epigraphy. This is a small selection from over 9,000 catalogued epigraphic objects within the two relevant collections ("Pre-Islamic Epigraphy" and "Islamic Epigraphy") of the Deputy Ministry of Antiquities and Museums (which includes the National Museum as well as regional museums). | |
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