Arabian religion

Introduction
Nature and significance
Sources of modern knowledge
The historical setting
- South Arabia
- North and central Arabia
Pre-Islamic deities
- South Arabia
- North Arabia
Sanctuaries, cultic objects, and religious practices and institutions

References & Edit History Related Topics

At a Glance

ancient Arabian religions summary

Related Questions

How did Assyrian records contribute to knowledge of North Arabian gods?
How did Islamic traditions preserve information about pre-Islamic Arabian beliefs?
How did Nabataean representations of gods change over time?
How did Nabataean temples differ from open-air sanctuaries?
How did cleromancy use marked arrows or sticks to seek an oracle?
How did the Kaaba function as a polytheistic pilgrimage shrine before Islam?
How did the mountain of Sharā give Dhū Sharā his name?
How did the role of Ruḍā change in Ṣafaitic inscriptions?
How did the worship of local patron gods differ among South Arabian tribes?
How did truces of God protect people traveling to Arabian shrines?
How was Manāt represented in Nabataean art?
How was the god Ṣalm represented in inscriptions from Taymāʾ?
How was ʿAthtar connected with Venus and rainstorms?
How were al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, and Manāt connected in pre-Islamic Arabia?
How were aromatics used in pre-Islamic Arabian religious rituals?
How were graves marked by Ṣafaitic Bedouin communities?
How were ritual meals practiced at the sanctuary of Jabal al-Lawdh in Yemen?
What burial customs were used for dead warriors in ancient Arabia?
What duties did the Sabaean priests of ʿAthtar perform?
What evidence shows that ritual cleanliness was important in ancient Arabian religion?
What features were included at the Nabataean high place overlooking Petra?
What role did Nikraḥ’s sanctuary serve for dying people and women in childbirth?
What types of priests and temple officials are mentioned in ancient Arabian inscriptions?
What was the goal of hunting the game of ʿAthtar and Kurūm?
Which celestial bodies were associated with gods in the South Arabian pantheon?
Which gods were named in the Aramaic inscriptions from Taymāʾ?
Which groups worshipped the god Nuhay?
Which national gods were worshipped in Sabaʾ, Maʿīn, Ḥaḍramawt, Qatabān, and Ḥimyar?
Which offerings were made to gods in ancient Arabian sanctuaries?
Which sources provide evidence about pre-Islamic Arabian religion?
Who was Shayʿ al-Qawm in Nabataean religion?
Why are monumental inscriptions useful for understanding religion in ancient Arabia?
Why did pilgrims wear ritual clothing and avoid bloodshed at ancient Arabian sanctuaries?
Why was ʿAthtar invoked as an avenger against enemies?
Who are the Arab people?
Where do most Arabs live?
What language do Arab people commonly speak?
How did Arab scholars influence early science?

Philosophy & Religion Ancient Religions & Mythology

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External Websites

Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici - Sacred Images of Metaphysical World ï¿½ Perspective of Prehistoric Religion in Arabia
Smarthistory - Pre-Islamic Arabia

Arabian religion

ancient religion

Written by

Jacques Ryckmans

Emeritus Professor of Semitic Studies, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Author of La Persécution des Chrétiens Himyarites au Sixième Siècle and others.

Jacques Ryckmans

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Arabian religion, polytheistic beliefs and practices that existed in Arabia before the rise of Islam in the 7th century ce. Arabia is here understood in the broad sense of the term to include the confines of the Syrian Desert. The religion of Palmyra, which belongs to the Aramaic sphere, is excluded from this account. The monotheistic religions that had already spread in Arabia before the arrival of Islam are also mentioned briefly. For historical background,...

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