The rock art was formed by chipping away the dark outer layer of limestone known as patina, to expose the lighter layer underneath, according to researchers at the Bradshaw Foundation. The images depict not only ibexes, but camels, horses, humans, and even ostriches. There are also Bedouin tribal symbols known as wusum, which were used to send messages of ownership or authority over an area or object, the Bradshaw Foundation reports.
Studying the petroglyphs helps shed light not only on the animals portrayed but on the people who portrayed them. “The older the carving is, we see a richer and more detailed artistic world,” archaeologist Lior Schimer said in an interview with Atlas Obscura. “Drawing was a ritual activity at this point, the carver was trained for it, and the tribe assembled specifically to witness it.”
Later carvings were done with different techniques and different purposes, with copper merchants reporting on their travels along the trade route, and Bedouin herders claiming territory by carving their symbols in strategic spots for all to see.
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