An Introduction to the Rock Art of Khaybar

Between 2020 and 2024, the Khaybar Longue Durée Archaeological Project recorded 2333 rock art panels around the oasis of Khaybar in northwest Arabia. This dataset documents changing visual expression in a previously under‐researched region. The rock art broadly follows chronological and stylistic patterns observed elsewhere in northern Arabia. However, engravings of the Neolithic and the first millennium BCE / CE —which are normally abundant—appear comparatively scarce. A major result of the study is the identification of a distinct group of engravings tentatively attributable to the Bronze Age, a period that remains poorly defined in Arabian rock art research. These motifs follow consistent stylistic conventions with representations that are smaller and more stylized than Neolithic engravings, very finely pecked, and focussed on specific anatomic details. In addition, several unusual motifs were observed, including a group of geometric patterns resembling field systems.