Dumat al-Jandal
دُومَة ٱلْجَنْدَل | |
The ruins of the ancient city of Adummatu | |
| Location | Al Jawf Province, Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°48′41″N 39°52′06″E / 29.81139°N 39.86833°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| Part of | Saudi Arabia |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Public access | yes |
Dumat al-Jandal (Arabic: دُومَة ٱلْجَنْدَل, romanized: Dūmat al-Jandal, lit. 'Dumah of the Stone', pronounced [ˈduːmat alˈdʒandal]), also known as Al-Jawf or Al-Jouf (Arabic: ٱلْجَوْف, lit. 'depression'), which refers to Wadi Sirhan, is an ancient city of ruins and the historical capital of the Al Jawf Province, today in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is located 37 km from Sakakah.
The city stood north of the Nafud desert and at one end of Wadi Sirhan, at a major intersection of ancient trade routes part what is known as the incense route, with one branch linking the various sources of valuable goods in India and southern Arabia with Babylon, and another linking the Persian Gulf through Wadi Sirhan with southern Syria. It has a historical boundary wall and stands within an oasis.
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).
Some scholars identify this site as territory of Dumah, one of the twelve sons of Ishmael mentioned in the Book of Genesis.