Ancient petroglyphs in Kuwait tell historical tale

KUWAIT: Venerable rock inscriptions recently unearthed in Kuwait indicate that civilizations dating back centuries had at one point in time thrived in the Gulf state, said a Kuwaiti official yesterday. Chief among the inscriptions is one written in the Cuneiform script, which first emerged in the year 2300 BC, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters’ (NCCAL) director of the department of archaeology Dr Sultan Al-Duweish revealed in a statement. Speaking on the sidelines of an exhibition on petroglyphs in Kuwait, he said that some rocks also featured inscriptions in Aramaic, which first appeared in Failaka Island

Meanwhile, Duweish explained that other rocks are emblazoned with the Greek writing, which made its way to Kuwait concurrently with the arrival of Alexander the Great. Rock inscriptions bearing an ancient Arabic calligraphy were also among the discoveries, demonstrating the transformation of the Arabic language over the years, he added. Mohammad bin Ridha, the annual summer expo’s chief organizer, said that the four-day event is part of a festival that depicts Kuwait’s illustrious history and the vast civilizations that existed on its soil. He added that the festival is stacked with a plethora of cultural festivities, including workshops, musical performances and seminars.