NABONIDUS ‘ROCK RELIEFS’

The Assyrian and Babylonian empires covered huge areas which extended through Iran, Iraq, turkey and Syria. Whilst parts of Arabia were vassal states, (paying tribute and allegiance to the ruling king in return of control of their own lands), they didn’t really become part of the empire until the last Babylonian king Nabonidus conquered in 553 BCE.
 
The Harran Stele tells of Nabonidus’ military triumphs. It records him roaming between Tayma, Dadan (AlUla), Faddak (Al Ha’it), Hibra (Khaybar), Yadi and Yathrib (Madinah) for 10 years around 552 BCE.  This is the point at which trade caravans would split, going east to Mesopotamia or north to Egypt and the mediterranean. Record of his stay is found in the oasis of Tayma in the form of late Babylonian imagery and cuneiform inscriptions, along with local Taymanitic (formerly Thamudic) inscriptions mentioning Nabonidus king of Babylon (Nbnd mlk Bbl).
 
The most interesting evidence of the King of Babylon’s stay in the area is not found in Tayma, but in a little-known oasis of Al Ha’it (old name Faddak), in Hail Province, which is on the branch of the Incense Road leading east, past the Nafud into Mesopotamia. Located on the edge of an outcrop overlooking the oasis is a relief and inscription (1 of 2 found in the area). A series of steps lead up the hillside passing the carvings and into buildings on the edge of the modern town, maybe a temple 2,500 years ago.
 
The relief is an image of a man with four symbols level with his head. The layout corresponds to other representations of Nabonidus, such as the stelae from Harran and the rock relief in Sela, Jordan. The iconographic programme of Nabonidus always portrays the king standing in adoration before the celestial bodies of the moon (Sîn), the winged disk sun (Šamaš) and the morning star (Ištar). Nabonidus was known for his near-fanatical devotion the moon god Sîn (pronounced seen), whom he raised to the highest status in the Babylonian pantheon. This brought him into bitter conflict with the Babylon priesthood who claimed this position for their god Marduk.
 
What is most interesting here is the addition of a fourth symbol, a loop, that looks like a snake. It has been suggested that it could be an indigenous deity, in whose city and temple Nabonidus set up his inscription. It could be seen as an act of theological syncretism, a form of respect for the local deities and dare I say it, a blending of beliefs. There is currently no evidence to prove this, it is pure speculation for the time being.