C 497

Interpretation

Provenance: Apparently both banks of Wādī al-Gharz. Between the point where the Wādī is crossed by the Zalaf—Khirbat al-Umbāshī track and its debouchment into the Ruḥbah, the inscriptions are in a series of outcrops and cairns and on the rocks of the Wādī bank. The greatest concentration of texts copied in the 19th century is in the last outcrop and cairn overlooking the Ruḥbah (where there are approximately 80–120 texts). Note that several texts in the group C 4872–4936, which C places on the "right bank" of Wādī al-Gharz, were actually found on the left bank, and that C 4712–4723 which C places on the left bank were actually found on the right bank. There are many more inscriptions on the left bank than on the right.

Ryckmans, G. Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum: Pars Quinta, Inscriptiones Saracenicae Continens: Tomus I, Fasciculus I, Inscriptiones Safaiticae. Paris: E Reipublicae Typographeo, 1950–1951.
Dussaud, R. & Macler, F. Voyage archéologique au Ṣafâ et dans le Djebel ed-Drûz. Paris: Leroux, 1901.
de Vogüé, M. Syrie Centrale. Inscriptions sémitiques. Paris: Baudry, 1868-1877.

Site: The debouchment of Wādī Ġarz into the Ruḥbah, Rif Dimašq Governorate, Syria