Tayma Stones

The Tayma stones are Aramaic stelae discovered at the oasis of Tayma in northern Saudi Arabia, dating to approximately the 5th century BC. The first stela was uncovered in 1880 by Charles Huber and is now in the Louvre; a second was found in 1980 and remains in Saudi Arabia. The inscriptions reference Syrian and Mesopotamian deities including Salm, Ashima, and Asherah, reflecting lasting cultural influence from Babylonian king Nabonidus, who made Tayma his capital-in-exile in the mid-6th century BC. Over twenty inscriptions have been published since 1884, providing key evidence of Aramaic language and religious syncretism in ancient Arabia.