Picture of Thamudi dwellings carved into the cliffs at Meda'in Saleh

History

The oldest known reference to Thamud is a 715 BC inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II which mentions them as being among the people of eastern and central Arabia subjugated by the Assyrians.^[2]

They are referred to as "Tamudaei" in the writings of Aristo, Ptolemy, and Pliny.^[3]

The Qur'an

In the Qur'an, 'Ad and Thamud are always mentioned together. Moreover, the verses advise Thamud to take warning from the destruction of 'Ad.

This verse suggests some kind of relationship between 'Ad and Thamud, and 'Ad may even have been a part of Thamud's history and culture. Just as Nuh's people were seen as the ancestors of 'Ad, it seems 'Ad were seen in a similar relation to Thamud.

The 'Ad were a people living in southern Arabia. Some remains of Thamud were found in the region where 'Ad had lived, especially around the region where capital city of the Hadramites, the descendants of 'Ad, stood.

Hadith

Ibn Umar (ca.614-693) narrated that while Muhammad was passing by Thamud's houses on his way to the Battle of Tabouk, he stopped together with the people there. The people fetched water from the wells from which the people of Thamud used to drink. They prepared their dough (for baking) and filled their water skins from it (the water from the wells). Muhammad ordered them to empty the water skins and give the prepared dough to the camels. Then he went away with them until they stopped at the well from which the she-camel (of Salih) used to drink. He warned them against entering upon the people that had been punished, saying "I fear that you may be affected by what afflicted them; so do no enter upon them."

Historians

The famous historian Ali ibn al-Athir mentions the Thamud in his book The Complete History (Arabic: ?????? ?? ??????? - al-Kamil fi at-tarikh) composed ca. 1231.

Ibn Khaldun

Historian and scholar, Ibn Khaldun also mentions the Thamud several times in his great universal history al-Kit?bu l-?ib?r ("Book of Evidence"), but only in passing, seldom giving much information.

Some examples from the Muqaddimah ("Introduction"):

Script

A script graphically similar to the Smaitic alpabet (called Thamudic) has been found in southern Arabia and up throughout the Hijaz.^[4] The script was first identified in a region in north central Yemen that is known as Thamud, which is bound to the north by the Rub' al Khali, to the south by the Hadhramaut and to the west by Shabwah. The script was named after the place where it was first discovered, not for the people. Inscriptions in Thamudic come mostly from northern Saudi Arabia, but can be found throughout the Arabian peninsula.^[5]

Photos of Thamudi dwellings

See also

• 'Ad
• Prophet Saleh
• Thamud, Yemen
• Thamudic

References

1. ↑ Encyclopędia Britannica Online
2. ↑ M. Th. Houtsma et al., eds., E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936
3. ↑ Phillip Hitti, A History of the Arabs, London: Macmillan, I970, p. 37.
4. ↑ Brian Doe, Southern Arabia, Thames and Hudson, 1971, pp. 21-22.
5. ↑ Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Thamudic inscriptions exhibit

External links

• Photos of Thamud dwellings at Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia
• The story of the Prophet Salih

ar:???? de:Thamud fa:??? ???? id:Tsamud it:Thamudeni