Giant warriors in Arabian art

Saudi Arabia is a paradise for researching engraved rock art (see ‘Saudi Arabian rock art’ in CWA 102). In March 2022, I returned to the Saudi provinces of Najran and ‘Asir. In the latter, the exploration of Wadi al-Khayyur, located west of the Wajid Desert, resulted in surprising findings. Whereas the 8km-long and 150m-wide wadi, lined by 10m- to 30m-high cliffs, is rich in petroglyphs – ranging in size from 20cm to 40cm tall, featuring well-known motifs such as foot warriors, mounted lancers, hunters, and women with raised arms and plaited hair – the wider space at the end of the wadi revealed what are probably so far undocumented monumental petroglyphs. Within an area of 1km2, n