Apologies if this has been addressed before. Does Allat have an attested consort? If so, what is the source?

Herodotus mentions that Dushara and Allat together are the chief Arabian deities, implying a conjugal pair, but I've also heard that they could be mother and son. Allat also appears on a Palmyrene altar with El-Qonera (El The Creator) and a solar deity (possibly Malakbel) but nothing to suggest a connection beyond physical / cultic proximity. I would hope there might be an answer in the pre-Islamic inscriptions or other research, but I'm not very familiar with the corpus---I'd very much appreciate any insight or further reading suggestions. Thanks!

I'm coming up with a concept for a D&D character. I'm thinking of naming his wife after.Al-'Uzza Is that OK with your religion? I know in certain in Middle Eastern religions it could be considered last mess so I'm just wondering.

The full article can be downloaded here for free access : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381110455_Qaryat_al-FawQaryatum_dhat_Kahilim_On_the_identity_of_the_god_Kahl

"...KHL IN INSCRIPTIONS

The deity Kahl, upon whom one of the epithets of Qaryat is based, is rendered in Ancient South Arabian (ASA) inscriptions as khl, and conventionally transcribed as ‘Kahl’. Regrettably, there are no records to elucidate how the Sabaeans, the Minaeans or other people pronounced the god’s proper name—for this reason, we find variant spellings and vocalizations through different studies, like kāhil, kuhūl and kāhal. To avoid confusion among nonspecialist readers, it is also important to note that in some ASA inscriptions, the name would appear with the final mimation, for example, Kāhilim. This ‘m’ at the end is the inflection ending and ‘i’ (not written in the script) is the genitive case vowel reconstructed by linguists. The word khl is of Semitic origin. In the most up‐todate dictionary of the Sabaic language, the Sabäisches Wörterbuch, the noun is translated as ‘ruler, powerful’ (Sabäisches Online‐Wörterbuch, 2024, s.v. khl). In some earlier lexica, many now outdated, like Joan C. Biella's dictionary, khl was part of a root meaning 'to be able to, succeed in' (Biella, 1982, p. 241), similar to the Aramaic kəhal ('to be able') (CAL, 2019; s.v. khl).

Werner Daum had also noted that khl was related to the classical Arabic and formal language use of the word to address a man of mature age and suggested that a translation 'Strong' or 'Mighty One' would be appropriate (Behnstedt, 2006, p. 1088; Daum et al., 2023, p. 15; Piamenta, 1990–1991, p. 437). He also noted a relation with Ethiopian Semitic languages, for example, with the root of Geʿez (kəhlä, 'to be able') (Leslau, 1991, p. 277), with Semitic Ḥarsusi from Oman and Mehri from South Arabia as 'to be able to; to attack; to tolerate’ (Johnstone, 1977, p. 67; 1987, p. 205). In summary, khl appears to be a Semitic word that entails some exaltation of power or coming to age. khlm also appears in inscriptions from South Arabia as a common personal name (ATHS 73/11; CIH 711/1; FB-Jawf 1/15f; Finster 1986 Tf. 21/D.1) (Figure 1). In other inscriptions khlm appears to be employed as a toponym, probably referring to the town of Jidfir ibn Munaykhir, in present‐day Yemen—a small, fortified site under the authority of the mukarrib of Sabaʾ (DAI Ṣirwāḥ 2005‐50; RES 3943 ). Similarly, the word was found on other Sabaic inscriptions denoting a lineage name or a tribe (e.g., RES 4491; Ja 616 + 622 MaMB 154 + 199; Ja 616 + 622; Ry 547). These are likely to be theophoric names, or simply names that intended to convey some element of strength. In Ancient North Arabian inscriptions there is also evidence of khl being a popular personal name—but due to the absence of vowels, it is impossible to infer whether this is related to the root khl or to the name of the deity. 2..."

...In religious contexts, khl/khlm is a theonym and refers to a deity found in supplications and prayers (e.g., Qaryat‐ F12‐2/4, F8‐299, F8‐300/5, Sh 31/33). These words are also found in inscriptions that associate them with the township of Qaryat, as discussed above (e.g., DAI Barʾān 2000‐1; Ja 634; Ja 635). In many of these ASA inscriptions, the name of the god appears to not necessarily be a name per se. Like many other pre‐ Islamic deities, the god’s name is indicated by a certain specific quality, for example, strength. This is the case of other deities of the Arabian pantheon, such as the great Minaean god Wadd (‘love’). Or in contrast, deities who are introduced by pronouns ‘He/she who …’ (e.g., dhū‐ Samāwī, ‘The one of the Heavens’). In these contexts, Christian Robin considers that most likely the real names of these divinities were taboo (Robin, 2006, p. 87), ormay have been renditions of divinised ancestors (Robin, 2012, p. 97)...."

Religious beliefs in the ancient Near East were sometimes geographically, socially and temporally limited. For most people, what mattered was the deities they knew of and felt were acceptable in a broader religious landscape. This collection of deities is often called a "pantheon" by scholars. This is how Javier Teixidor uses the term in his work The Pantheon of Palmyra. Reading it one realizes that the pantheon of Palmyra consists of deities from all over the Near East; Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia. Palmyra never had a fixed pantheon. The ancient city welcomed and incorporated Babylonian, Phoenician and Arabian deities as indicated by the Palmyrene Aramaic inscriptions. And these inscriptions belong to a larger cultural-linguistic landscape which includes other types of late Aramaic inscriptions: Edessan, Nabataean, Hawrani, Hatran. We can recognize many of the Palmyrene deities and religious language in these other dialects and scripts. We can also find these deities in the corpus of another script family, Ancient North Arabian. Particularly in the Safaitic and Hismaic scripts which were used to write varieties of Old Arabic. These "pantheons" seem to vary at some points and merge at others. The Near East is far more pluralistic and porous that people give it credit.

The same is true when applied to Nabataea. Nabataean inscriptions don't show an equal distribution of divine names across the realm. Some deities were more popular in certain regions and less popular in others. There was a great deal of variety around certain shared, linguistic concepts and a certain amount of shared cultural vocabulary. There were no hard cultural boundaries between the Nabataeans (the kingdom of Nbtw with its subjects), the writers of Hismaic and Safaitic, and the rest of the Levant and North Arabia. In fact the writers of Hismaic predominantly lived in the Nabataean realm and some writers of Safaitic identified themselves as Nabataeans. Diodorus Siculus identifies the Nabataeans as "Arabians." Josephus sometimes refers to the Nabataeans by their specific political name and sometimes by the more generic term "Arabs" or "Arabians", usually without making any clear distinction between the two. And although the Nabataeans wrote in Aramaic, Arabic was their ancestral and contemporary spoken language.

There were, in fact, many Arabias scattered around the Near East according to Greek and Roman authors. Particularly in Syria, where, according to Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy, much of the Roman province was populated by "Arabs." We don't know where these many populations of "Arabs" originated or if they all spoke Arabic, but by the Hellenistic period, it seems that many of them had been living in those areas for centuries, if not longer. Assuming they must have come from the Arabian Peninsula would be anachronistic, as it was only called that much later. The term "Arab" in antiquity has been discussed at length by several scholars, most notably by Michael Macdonald in Arabs, Arabias, And Arabic Before Late Antiquity. In his conclusion he writes "Thus, to sum up, I would suggest that (a) the term "Arab" was in origin a self-designation based on a recognition of an ill-defined complex of linguistic and cultural characteristics ; (b) that in many ancient sources, particularly in documentary texts, it was used in this sense."

With this context in mind, I feel more justified in talking about an "Arab pantheon" as long as the reader understands the nuance and slightly arbitrary nature of such a deity list. The scope of this comes from evidence found throughout Nabataean territory, the harrah basalt desert and neighboring regions when relevant. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but this is my attempt to catalog and provide a brief simplistic description of the Gods with the purpose of offering to them cultus in this age.

A second point to keep in mind is that the sources are scarce and we do need to creatively reconstruct, intuit and use comparative methods with related cultures to understand Arab Traditional Religion. The tools at our disposal when historical sources are lacking are etymology, interpretatio graeca, comparative mythology, iconography and instances of shared personal gnosis with other practitioners. It may take a good deal of experimentation and research to reconstruct a viable spiritual practice. Much work has been done on this, and it is an ongoing project that has been making progress.

Finally some points on theology. Any statement concerning the Gods in themselves is provisional, analogical or otherwise not directly predicating anything of Them. They are inferences. The Gods have many symbols or tokens that manifest in our material world such as storms as a symbol of Baʿal-Samīn or Wadi Musa as a token of Dushara. But the Gods are not reducible to weather phenomenon or locations sacred to Them. The Gods are beyond the relations of cause and effect. They are more than just the various ideas or concepts They are associated with, more than just Their sympathies in the cosmos. Baʿal-Samīn may be the God of Storms but storms are not Baʿal-Samīn. Hence the height of spiritual practice involves the silent or non-discursive use of symbols. Everything I can ever say about Dushara will ultimately fail to exhaustively define Him, because that’s not possible in the first place. Dushara escapes all definition, as He is the precondition for any defining to take place. What we say about the Gods can lead us to Them, but there is a point where words fail to signify what transcends the status of signified.

Al-ʿUzzā/Al-ʿUzzāy

Al-ʿUzzā (N. Al-ʿUzzā, Al-ʿUzzāy, D. Han-ʿUzzāy, ʿUzzāy, Sb. ʿUzzayan) is the astral Goddess of the morning star, Venus. She is the wife of Dushara and was identified with Aphrodite. She carries themes of war, vengeance, power, victory, life and persuasion. She's associated with winged lions, acacia trees, sacred groves and other symbols of fertility.

Allāt

Allāt is the Supreme Goddess and Mother of the Gods. She is the Daughter of Ruḍaw and is associated with protection, birth, liminality, abundance and fertility. She was identified with Athena and Artemis and is often accompanied by a lion. Other animals associated with Allat include the camel, birds, particularly eagles, and the oryx. She rules over deserts and their wild, unpredictable nature, and the desert's borderland. Her sanctuaries connected the settled areas with the mountains or hills, desert, and steppe.

Atargatis/ʿAtarġātā

Atargatis (G. Atargatis, A. and D. ʿAtarġātā, CA. ʿAṯarġoṯ) is the Syrian life-giving Goddess associated with rivers and springs. She acts as a motherly protector of humans and animals and serves as the tutelary deity of urban centers. She's associated with the crescent moon, doves and fish and is the consort of Hadad, who is often called Baʿal-Samīn, Lord of the Heavens.

Baʿal-Samīn/Baʿal-Samāy

Baʿal-Samīn (Sf. Baʿal-Samāy, A. Baʿal-Shamīn or Baʿal-Samīn, CA. Baʿal Al-Samaʾ) is most famously known as a storm and weather God and an emblem of cosmic power. He presides over the assembly of the Holy Ones, angelic beings known as the children of the Gods. His mythological residence is in the most elevated region of the world, above the planets and the stars. He's associated with watering places fed by His rain, vegetation, the movements of the stars, and was accompanied by the Sun and Moon as acolytes.

Duśares/Dushara

Dushara (N. Duśara, G. Duśares, Sf. Diśar, CA. Ḏul-Šara) is the supreme national God of the Nabataeans, variously identified with Zeus, Dionysus and Aion. The name is derived from the mountain range Jebel esh-Sharā north of Petra and means "the One from Sharā." In the Roman period a Greek-style festival in His honor, the Actia Dusaria, was celebrated every year at Bostra. It was modeled after the Actia at Nikopolis in Epirus to commemorate Augustus’ victory over Mark Antony, which the Nabataeans may have played a role in. He is the protector of tombs, and was associated with the cult of the dead, the afterlife and resurrection. He is in charge of creation within the cosmos, being placed while still a child to rule over the younger encosmic Gods.

Hubal/Hubalu

Hubalu (N. Hubalu, CA. Hubal) is a local deity from Hegra mentioned in one funerary inscription along with Dushara and Manāt. The syntax of the inscription implies that Dushara and Hubalu are more closely related and that Manāt is in a separate category. Several etymologies for Hubalu have been proposed, none have been widely accepted. It is possible that He is associated with the raising up of souls after death, creation of man, and katabasis, but this is uncertain.

Al-Kutbā & Kūtbā

Al-Kutbā (N. Al-Kutbā, H. Kutbay, D. Han-Kutbay) is the divine scholar, scribe and librarian. She is the Goddess of writing, the scribal arts, learning, literature and science. In Dedan there was a male scribal deity called Aktab which may also be referenced in a Nabataean inscription as Kūtbā. The two may be male and female aspects of the planet Mercury as either divine twins or a father and daughter pair.

Manōt/Manāt

Manāt (N. Manōtu, OH. Manōh, CA. Manāt) is the Goddess of fate, destiny, death, and eternity. Manāt is closely connected to Dushara and is called Goddess of Goddesses. Her name means fate, fortune, portion or lot and was identified with Nemesis. She presides over chance and luck and maintains the order of the universe.

Nuhay/Nuhā

Nuhay (TB. Nuhay, CA. Nuhā) is the solar God of wisdom and salvation. He is given the epithet "the exalted/elevated sun" and made up a triad in northern Arabia with Allāt and Ruḍaw. His name means "intellect" or "the wise."

Qaysha

Qaysha is the God of fate and consort of Manāt worshiped in Hegra. His name means "measure."

Qos

Qos is an Edomite deity whose worship persisted into the Nabataean and Roman period. He was equated with Apollo. His name is either related to the Arabic qaws (“bow”) and thus characterized as a war-God symbolized by his bow or related to the root gws, as Arabic ğāsa, “to look around”, then “overseer.” Although some scholars equate Qos and Dushara, there is no evidence of this and Qos seems to have been a minor deity in the Nabataean pantheon.

Ruḍaw/Ruḍay

Ruḍaw (Sf. Ruḍaw, Ruḍay, CA. Ruḍa) is the lunar Father of Allāt identified with Dionysus by Herodotus as the main God of the Arabs. Ruḍaw is one of the most commonly invoked deities in Ancient North Arabian texts and formed a triad with Nuhay and ʿAttarsamē (Allāt) at Dumat Al-Jandal. He is the guardian of ceremonies of initiation or coming of age, and passing from one state to another, like the waning and waxing of the moon.

Ilah Ṣaʿb/Ṣaʿbu

Ilah (the God) Ṣaʿbu is the Gad (tutelary deity) of the Nabataeans. Ṣaʿbu is called upon for healing in one Hismaic inscription.

Seia

Seia is the only main local Goddess worshiped in the Hauran. She is the divine personification of the place where the sanctuary of Sī' in southern Syria was built. She is the protector of the area and its fields, and is associated with the products of the local cultivable land, especially grapes.

Shams

Shams is the Goddess of the sun. In South Arabia Shams was understood as a giver of fertility and wife of 'Athtar. The divine marriage was celebrated with a seven day ritual feast. In the Ugaritic Ba'al Cycle Shapshu (cognate with Shams) nurses the sons of El and Athirat. She played a role in royal funerary rites and was called "Lantern of the Gods" traveling nightly through the netherworld with close connections to it. Shapesh was the patron of dead kings and heroes and a messenger for the Gods. She is also the Mother of the divine dyad Shahar and Shalem, Dawn and Dusk. It is unknown to what extent the North Arabian Shams corresponds to the South Arabian Shams and Ugaritic Shapshu.

Shayʿhaqqawm/Shayʿ al-Qawm

Shayʿ al-Qawm (Sf. Shayʿhaqqawm, Shayʿaqqawm, N. Shayʿ al-Qawm) is a protective deity offering safety to travelers, nomads and soldiers. His name means "guiding/accompanying the people" or "leader of hosts" and is associated with abstention from wine. He contrasts with the more Dionysiac Dushara and is associated with Lycurgus. The myth of the conflict between Lycurgus and Dionysus was so popular among soldiers in Syria and Arabia that Nonnos of Panopolis set the conflict there instead of in Thrace in his Dionysiaca.

Theandrios/Theandrites

Theandrites is "the masculine God who inspires in one's soul the taste for a virile life" according to Damascius. Although Theandrites is a Greek name, the God (theos in ancient Greek) of the man (andros), the deity was widely worshiped by Arabs in the Houran. His native Semitic name is not known.

Yaytheʿ/Aytheʿ

Yaytheʿ is the God of salvation, safety, preservation and deliverance from harm. His name means "savior" or "he who saves."

Abbreviations:

N. Nabataean, D. Dedanitic, Sb. Sabaic, G. Greek, A. Aramaic, CA. Classical Arabic, Sf. Safaitic, H. Hismaic, OH. Old Hejazi, TB. Thamudic B

Bibliography:

• Arabs, Arabias, And Arabic Before Late Antiquity
• The oral and the written in the religions of ancient North Arabia
• The religion of the Nabataeans : a conspectus
• The Religion and Rituals of the Nomads of Pre-Islamic Arabia: A Reconstruction based on the Safaitic Inscriptions
• The pagan god : popular religion in the Greco-Roman Near East
• The divine names at Dadan: a philological approach
• Atargatis the Syrian Goddess

Quotes from QARYAT AL-FAW, Abdulrahman Muhammad Tayeb Al-Ansari (Roads of Arabia - Archaeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia)

https://preview.redd.it/5ge68vza9yud1.jpg?width=918&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6f399073543c1e86224c4c97e1da3fc14a808a5

https://preview.redd.it/u5enivza9yud1.jpg?width=695&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dfac0cb899bea59262e1f5f8ff35b69f40b66f86

I have a huge interest in religions syncretism, exchange of mythic motifs etc.

So I have a few questions:

Which surrounding religions had the most influence on arabian paganism? Hellenism,, persian zoroastrianism perhaps? Any concrete examples?

To pagans today? Do YOU syncretise with any other tradition?

Thanks in advance!

I have a strange and wrong fate. In my life I have learned that I cannot get a foreign boyfriend suitable for me or even continue research on Islam despite the fact that other Christians can do it. Afterlife officially says that after death I will be falsely accused of terrorism and I will lose my rights to my research because I am limited and cannot get it,they say Christianity is the true religion and this Christianity becomes atheistic. Am I a suitable person to make renunciations after death and obtain false Information of events that never existed according to my eyes? The world is absurd. God does not look like the one in the Bible,does not exist and destroys free will. What does death serve? Nothing. What do you recommend? Should I stay out of Arab paganism and what I had studied in school?

How difficult is it to be pagan in the Middle East and North Africa? What are the main organizations that are trying to re-establisg Arab Paganism?

Excluding Pre-Islamic traditions which got ingrained into Islamic tradition, do you just add pre-islamic beliefs or consider yourself a full on Neopagan?

Hello! Where can i read about other arabian polytheism religions? I only know Wathanism.

If you are wondering this is Ahmad Al jallad’s reddit account

From the Nabataeans in the north, to the Himyarites in the south, which place or land in Arabia have we achieved the most academic research about?

Hello everyone, I recently came across a series of three sources that seemed to indicate that during the 19th and early 20th century, the practice of pagan religions resurfaced in Arabia, specifically Saudi Arabia. To be even more specific, the sources all describe the worship of a specific pagan god "Dhul Khalasa." Now I tried to look further into this, but unfortunately there seems to be no information on this whatsoever that I can find, at least none in English. The sources are as follows.

A commentary on a much older book called "Akhbar Mecca" I'm afraid that I wasn't able to find out who the commentator was.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjT-nfXMAAntiG?format=jpg&name=small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjT-syW4AARUXA?format=jpg&name=small

Uthman Ibn Bishr in Unwan al-majd fi Ta'rickh Najd

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjUGllWAAE3KBF?format=jpg&name=small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjUGqxW4AE9LYu?format=jpg&name=small

Fawzwan Al Sabiq in Al Bayan wa-al-Ishar li-kashf Zaygh al-mulhid al-hajj Mukthar

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjUWjcWMAAIfg2?format=jpg&name=small

A commentary from Muhammed Ibn Balihad An-Najdi on Kitab Sifat Jaziratul Arab.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjUc0NXkAEGnFO?format=jpg&name=small

There is one account that has been translated, from Kamal Salibi, however he doesn't appear to provide a source for his claim. This is from Who Was Jesus: Conspiracy In Jerusalem

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJjUh_dW4AA54Wt?format=jpg&name=small

So I took a VERY basic Arabic class, I really only got as far as being able to recognize the letters of the alphabet (I can't even sound the words out without diacritics), so I'm really not equipped to read or interpret any of this. I am very interested in this, I was under the impression that paganism in Arabia was rare even during the 7th century. I'm wondering if aside from these accounts there is any evidence to suggest that Pagan Arabic religions were being practiced in the 19th and early 20th century and if there was conflict between them and the Muslim states in the area. Furthermore are these accounts reliable? I have been told that these sources (save for Kamal Salibi) are in some way attached to the Saudi Government. I was also told that the idea that the Saudi government was combating paganism in Arabia during this time period was a popular piece of propaganda. I do find it strange that I can't seem to find anything else on this subject, but it is entirely possible that the information simply isn't available in English. There is apparently also a very important early Wahabi Imam named Ash-Shawkwani (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Shawkani) who reported that paganism was common among 18th century arabs but I'm unsure if this literally refers paganism or more mild practices that he deemed to be blasphemous. Any info would be appreciated.

Hi! I'm new and my main practice is Daoism (my Chinese heritage). But I think I've been getting called by the pre-Islamic Arabian goddesses for a while, Manat and her sisters.

I've seen the Arabic verse for them ("Wa'l-Lāt-a wa'l Uzzā, wa Manāt-a al-thalithāta al-'ukhrā, Tilk al-gharāniq al-'ulā, wa inna shafā'ata-hunna la-turtajā.") I don't know how to pronounce it correctly!

Is there a way to call these goddesses in English, or any guidance for newcomers?

Thank you! ^____^

I'm so happy to have found this place! Thanks for holding the space.

Once I was visiting the National Museum of Lebanon and I had an experience of a goddess (Ashtarout, as they say in Lebanon) reaching out to me (or in to me) and wanting to be remembered and engaged wth. I also felt her strongly in other locations around Lebanon. Now when I'm in Lebanon I try to make it a point to return to her in the museum and in other locations. I didn't know at first how to engage, but I'm starting to get it. Before then, I just felt that Lebanon has so many energy layers (for lack of a better term) in its space--beautiful, chaotic, so alive.

I've been learning about paganism through the Irish Pagan school and other sources for the last year or so. It has been great and helped me understand ancient belief systems and practices in general. There are natural similarities between some beliefs of Ireland and Lebanon, from djinn and the gentry, to traditions around the moon, to how deities are conceptualized and the plurality of their identities.

When I'm in Lebanon especially I feel towards its layers of history and energy. (Note: I'm not Arab, but I'm married into an Arab family. and have spent a lot of time in Lebanon.) It had seemed like there was no way for me to learn about the pagan history, culture, and practices of Lebanon, Palestine, and surrounding areas, but I'm finding my way a little, now.

I also feel pretty connected to Allah through a long-time practice of zikr. I have wondered if Allah is really as obsessed with monotheism as people believe, or if it would be okay to keep doing Zikr and appreciating that big, calming force while also engaging with Ashtarout (or Astarte or whatever she wants to be called). Through my Irish pagan studies and even just learning about history, it's clear that historically it is pretty typical to "worship" or have a relationship with monotheistic deity/religion while also engaging in polytheistic practices secretly or not so secretly.

Anyway, I'm going back to Lebanon soon. Won't be visiting as many sites as I'd like due to the war. Was hoping to go the Temple of Eshmun, but I don't think it will happen. If anyone knows of great places around Beirut or outside south Lebanon and Baalbak, please let me know. Also, if you know of any great texts about pagan spirituality in that region, please let me know.

Free Palestine!

Hey Just looking for more information about Central Arabia or Najd gods. Any resources, books? Can't seem to find any

I would like to introduce myself to the practices of Arab polytheism. Where should I start? Can only Arab people practice religion? Anyway, a lot of doubts in my head

Does the Arab world still have practitioners of pre-islamic polytheism?