Jubbah ( ar, جبة) or Jubbat Ha'il ( ar, جبة حائل, ''Jubbah of Ha'il'') is a city in
Ha'il Region,
Saudi Arabia, north-west of the city of
Ha'il. The city lies on the old caravan road between
Najd
Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...
and the eastern
Mediterranean Sea. Although completely surrounded by the vast
Nefud Desert
An Nafud or Al-Nefud or The Nefud ( ar, صحراء النفود, ṣahrā' an-Nafūd) is a desert in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula at , occupying a great oval depression. It is long and wide, with an area of .
The Nafud is an erg, ...
, Jubbah is known for its abundant agriculture and plentiful water and has a population of 20,000.
Jubbah lies on an ancient lake bed (
paleolake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
) that measures at least 20 km by 4 km with its full extent concealed beneath wind-swept sand on its northern, southern and eastern boundaries. The exposed part of the paleolake lies downwind of the mountain of
Jebel Umm Sanman to the west, which has diverted the westerly flow of sand around it, leaving a sand-free depression that filled with water during past humid periods. Several archaeological sites of human settlement from the
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...
period were found around the margin of the paleolake. Stone artifacts found at these sites are pertinent to ongoing debates about the timing,
nature and routes of
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...
human migrations.
Jubbah is surrounded by large sandstone outcrops that are filled with ancient
petroglyphs and inscriptions on the rock face. Especially at Jebel Umm Sanman, which is designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other locations of
Rock Art in the Ha'il Region
Rock Art in the Ha'il Region ( ar, الفنون الصخرية في منطقة حائل) is the fourth site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal pr ...
. Some of these rock carvings show men wearing headgear, birds, monkeys,
gazelles, and two animals pulling a wheeled cart.
Jubbah was visited by
Finnish orientalist and explorer
Georg August Wallin
Georg August Wallin (Yrjö Aukusti Wallin, aka Abd al-Wali; 24 October 1811 – 23 October 1852)[Shammar
The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...](_blank)
tribe. They looked pale and skinny, and lived a similar life to
Bedouins, although they were settled in permanent houses. The town was frequented by many bedouins especially during the
date season (although Wallin thought their dates were not as good as those in
Al Jawf and
Tayma), but also for its fertile grazing lands.
References
Populated places in Ha'il Province
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