Historians claim that Arabs left the central region to form kingdoms in Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq.

RIYADH: A renowned Saudi Arabian historian has stated that just a handful of tribes subsequently identified as Arabs resided in the region currently known as the Arabian Peninsula in antiquity and modern times, with other ethnicities only briefly residing there.

During a panel discussion titled "Ancient Arabic Writings" at the Riyadh International Book Fair, Dr. Suleiman Al-Theeb, a professor of ancient Arabic inscriptions at King Saud University, shared some of his research findings.

The panelists focused on the deep-rooted cultural heritage of the Kingdom and the Arabian Peninsula, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.

The Kingdom's Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission arranged the fair, which took place from September 26 to October 5.

Al-Theeb discussed the meanings of texts in Arabic script and old Arab inscriptions throughout the debates.

He said that in the eighth and ninth centuries B.C.E., during the Assyrian era, a group of tribes were referred to as "Arabs."

He continued by saying that immigrants from the Arabian Peninsula first settled in the center region and then moved northward to Mesopotamia, Greater Syria, and Egypt, where they founded kingdoms.

According to Al-Theeb, the earliest known Arab inscription is Thamudic and was discovered in the Palestinian city of Lachish around 1300 BCE.

He stated, "It was first thought to be Phoenician and dated to 1509 B.C.E., but it was later confirmed to combine Thamudic letters and South Arabian script."

Al-Theeb is a prolific writer on the history of the Arabian Peninsula's ancient civilizations.

He gave a lengthy talk about his work at the fair and is a writer, historian, researcher, and specialist in the archeology and ancient languages of the area.

Source arabnews.com