Safaitic script

E749939

Safaitic script is an ancient North Arabian alphabet used by nomadic tribes in the southern Syrian and northern Arabian deserts during the first centuries BCE–CE, primarily for rock and graffiti inscriptions.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf North Arabian script
ancient script
addedToUnicodeVersion Unicode 7.0
characterType consonants only
culturalContext pre-Islamic Arabia
deciphermentStatus largely deciphered
discoveredIn as-Safa volcanic field
documentedBy epigraphists
hasVowelNotation no systematic vowel notation
influenced study of early Arabic language
inscriptionLanguage Old Arabic
inscriptionMedium basalt rocks
sandstone rocks
inscriptionType commemorative inscriptions
curses
genealogical records
personal graffiti
prayers
namedAfter as-Safa region
numberOfSigns approximately 28 letters
region Hauran region
Jabal al-Druze
Syro-Arabian desert
linked to: Syrian Desert

northern Jordan
linked to: Northern Jordan

northern Saudi Arabia
relatedTo Dadanitic script
Hismaic script
Proto-Arabic writing
linked to: Semitic scripts

Thamudic scripts
linked to: Thamudic
scriptFamily Ancient North Arabian
linked to: Safaitic Arabic
scriptUsage informal writing
non-monumental inscriptions
timePeriod 1st century BCE
1st century CE
early Roman period
late Hellenistic period
unicodeBlock Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script
unicodeRange U+10D40–U+10D7F
usedBy nomadic tribes
usedFor graffiti inscriptions
rock inscriptions
usedIn northern Arabian desert
southern Syrian desert
linked to: Syrian Desert
writingDirection boustrophedon
left-to-right
right-to-left
varied direction
writingSystemOf Old Arabic dialects

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Safaitic Arabic writingSystem Safaitic script
Dadanitic distinctFrom Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script
as-Safa region knownFor Safaitic inscriptions
linked to: Safaitic script
as-Safa region inscriptionLanguage Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script
Thamudic scriptFamily Ancient North Arabian scripts
linked to: Safaitic script
Thamudic relatedTo Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script
Safaitic script unicodeBlock Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script
North Arabian inscriptions writtenIn Ancient North Arabian scripts
linked to: Safaitic script
North Arabian inscriptions usedScript Safaitic script
North Arabian hasWritingSystem Ancient North Arabian script
linked to: Safaitic script
North Arabian hasDialect Safaitic
linked to: Safaitic script