Prehistory In 2020, archaeologists reported discovering a 35-meter long triangular megalithic stone platform surrounded by burials and dating back to the 6th millennium BCE, presumably dedicated to ritual practices. Archaeological researchers from
France, Saudi Arabia and
Italy, headed by Olivia Munoz, believe that these findings illuminate a pastoralist nomadic lifestyle and a ritual used in prehistoric Arabia.
Ancient Near East The city has a history dating back to the 10th century BC and is mentioned in
Akkadian inscriptions of the
Neo-Assyrian Empire dating to 845 BCE, in which it is referred to as
Adummatu and is described as the capital of an
Arab kingdom sometimes named as
Qedar (
Qidri). The names of five powerful
Arab queens that ruled this city are known, among them
Zabibe,
Šamši,
Tabūʿa, and
Teʾelḫunu. The latter is also given the title of high priestess of
Atarsamain, a
deity of fertility, love and war associated with
Ishtar. Dūmah was the site of an important temple dedicated to Ishtar. The ancient city of Duma was described as "the stronghold of the
Arabians" on the
Neo-Assyrian Esarhaddon Prism (cuneiforms on clay prism, 673-672 BC). This town is perhaps intended in a passage from
Isaiah:
Nabataean kingdom Sacrifices of animals were common and
Porphyry's
De Abstenentia (3rd century AD) reports that in Dūmah, a boy was sacrificed annually and was buried underneath an altar. Some scholars have extrapolated this practice to the rest of the Nabataeans. Excavations made by Khaleel Ibrahim al-Muaikel in 1986 added to observations made in 1976 that a homogeneous layer of
Roman-
Nabataean pottery
sherds indicating a prosperous community during the time of the Nabataeans, to whose realm this part of the region probably belonged. Excavations in 2011 uncovered a large open-air Nabataean
triclinium (banqueting hall) on a rocky promontory within the western settlement of the oasis. The U-shaped structure, built of stone benches instead of walls, was primarily used between the late 1st century BC to the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. Pottery vessels and fireplaces distributed across the surface attest to gatherings held at the site. Among the remains were serving bowls, cereal grains, dates, figs, olives, pomegranates, grapevine charcoal, and burned caprine bones.
Roman period In AD 106, Dumah was incorporated into the
Roman Empire by the emperor
Trajan, after annexing the
Nabataean Kingdom. Dumah became the part of the province of
Arabia Petraea. In the fourth century, the region of Dumah was re-defined by the Romans as
Palaestina Salutaris. Dumah remained integral to the
Limes Arabicus for over four centuries, serving as the easternmost settlement along the
limes. In AD 269, the place was mentioned by
Zenobia, the Queen of
Palmyra, as a city with an immune fortress. After her forces had captured the city, the
Marid Castle withstood the attack in her revolt against the Romans. In 2017, a
Paleo-Arabic Christian graffito discovered near al-Jawf and dating to AD 548/9, known as the
Dumat al-Jandal inscription, was published. The inscription reads "May be remembered. May God remember Ḥgʿ{b/n}w son of Salama/Sa-lāma/Salima {in} the m[onth] (gap) year 443 [AD 548/549]."
During Muhammad's era Due to its strategic location, the city had been the object of no fewer than three raids. It lay about fifteen days march north from Medina and about half that distance from Damascus. Muhammad ordered the
Expedition of Dumat al-Jandal in July 626. Muhammad had received intelligence that some tribes there were involved in highway robbery and preparing to attack Medina itself. No casualties were reported; the
Ghaṭafān fled. to attack the Christian prince of Duma, as well as the
Expedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (2nd Dumatul Jandal) in April 631 to demolish an idol called
Wadd, worshipped by the Banu Kalb tribe. In 630,
Khalid ibn al-Walid captured Dumat al-Jandal and it became part of the newly formed Islamic empire. ==Landmarks==