HISTORY Oldest dated Arabic inscriptions in Somalia and the Horn?

[ajurstory]

Hello all
What is the oldest known dated Arabic inscription in Somalia? If anyone is aware?

I have found earliest in Eritrea/Tigray late 900s, anyone know any more information?

 

[ajurstory]

?

 

[Midas]

The oldest one im aware of is the ones found in Mogadishu which i think date back to 720 a.d

 

[ajurstory]

The oldest one im aware of is the ones found in Mogadishu which i think date back to 720 a.d

Do you have a link for this please?

 

[3LetterzMM]

I saw a scripture in what appeared to be the old south arabian alphabet written in a cave a while back idk if that technically counts it’s still Arabic language after all jus not in the modern day fusha writing. I’ll lyk if I can find the picture but it could be anywhere from 2000 BC to 600 AD.

 

[ajurstory]

I saw a scripture in what appeared to be the old south arabian alphabet written in a cave a while back idk if that technically counts it’s still Arabic language after all jus not in the modern day fusha writing. I’ll lyk if I can find the picture but it could be anywhere from 2000 BC to 600 AD.

I think i’ve seen this one, it’s sabaean right?
I mean Arabic modern day, the earliest i have found is 13th century but surely there’s older dated inscriptions?

 

[ajurstory]

Dahlak Islands earliest dated arabic inscription: 1093AD

Interesting that earlier inscriptions in the Horn are rare or maybe have not been excavated/dated yet. 10th century and after seems to be the pattern

 

[moosaid]

Dahlak Islands earliest dated arabic inscription: 1093AD

Interesting that earlier inscriptions in the Horn are rare or maybe have not been excavated/dated yet. 10th century and after seems to be the pattern

What is written in it?

 

[moosaid]

On the ancient travel routes of the Arabian Peninsula, people would write their names and ask to be prayed for after death. There are names of companions and their descendants, even Omar bin Al-Khattab, engraved on these rocks.
Is there something similar in the ancient trade routes of the Somalis and has anyone examined them?

 

[ajurstory]

What is written in it?

Dahlak Kebir island, Eritrea inscription dated to 1093:

"Cemeteries and Tombs. The cemeteries have been examined in some detail by various scholars (Bassat 1893, Wiet 1951, Schneider 1969, Oman l974,Insoll 1996). Of primary attraction are the over 200 Arabic funerary inscriptions on basalt, incised or carved in relief in both Naskhi and Kufic script. These date from between 9ll-1539 (Oman 1974). The inscriptions have provided information on the Sultanate of Dahlak, as, for example, by a reference on a stele (dated to 1093) to a Sultan al- Mubarak, apparently the name of a sovereign of the Dahlaks in the late eleventh century (Tedeschi 1969: 63). One individual has even been commemorated by four stelae, "a case unique in the epigraphy of Dahlak Kebir and also in Islamic epigraphy" (Oman 1974: 259). As this material has already been wellstudied (lbiil, no attempt is made to further record the funerary inscriptions."
Source: https://www.ancientportsantiques.co...Documents/PLACES/RedSea/Dahlak-Insoll2001.pdf

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Bilet, Eastern Tigray, inscription dated to 972:

What's written on the inscription is written in this study: https://amu.hal.science/hal-02111959v1/document

There is a longer study published on this cemetery, very long but a highly interesting read: https://journals.openedition.org/remmm/19303

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I hope there will be studies of this depth on our soil, it uncovers so much history and the 2 findings above show that there is so much yet to be seen.

 

[ajurstory]

regarding the 2nd, Al-Yamamah is present day Riyadh no? Fled from wars at the time?

 

[moosaid]

regarding the 2nd, Al-Yamamah is present day Riyadh no? Fled from wars at the time?

In muqdisho there were also gravestones. Search and you might find them.