Page 12 - Arabian Studies (V)

2 Arabian Studies V

The area of Wadi ’1-Qura contains three main ancient sites: Mada-
*in Salih (al-Hijr, al-Khuraybah (Dedan) and al-Mibyat. The archae­
ological remains and the inscriptions which have so far been dis­
covered indicate that Wadi ’l-Qura witnessed the emergence of five
culturally different peoples: the Dedanites, the Lihyanites, the
Minaeans, the Nabataeans and the Thamudites. Of these last we
have, however, little knowledge.
As to the site of Mibyat, no inscription has yet been discovered
there because there has not been any research on this site, with the
exception of a preliminary survey undertaken by the University of
London in 1968. The preliminary report informs us that the
remains are of Umayyad foundation and that it was clearly an
important medieval site.4
The inscriptions uncovered at al-Khuraybah indicate that Dedan
was the main city of that region. It was the capital of the Kingdom