AAWAB 5

Siglum: AAWAB 5
Transliteration: l rms¹ bn rbʿt bn ʿdy w ḥḍr fnyt b- ḏkr f ṣhd f ẓʿn l- qṣb f h rḍw s¹lm w ʿwr m ʿwr
Translation: By Rms¹ son of Rbʿt son of ʿdy and he came to water at Fnyt during Aries and it was waterless and so he searched for water right up to the channels which [are meant to] bring water from the springs and so O Rḍw [grant] security and blind whoever scratches out [the inscription]

Interpretation

Commentary: The sun is in Aries (ḏkr) during April (Al-Jallad 2014: 218), i.e. in the middle of dṯʾ "the season of later rains" and so, at that time of year, the author would not normally have had to come to a site of permanent water such as Fnyt, which is near Burquʿ in north-eastern Jordan. It is in this context that he says he was searching for water or herbage as far as the channels which would normally be bringing water to the wells. For ṣhd cf. Arabic ṣayhad "waterless desert (Hava 408); for ẓʿn cf. Arabic ẓaʿana "he journeyed to seek after herbage or water, or he removed from water to water" (Lane (1911b–c). For qṣb cf. Arabic qaṣab "channels by which water flows from the springs or sources; or the channels by which the water of a well flows from the springs or sources (Lane 2530a).

Associated Inscriptions

Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
Al-Jallad, A.M. An ancient Arabian zodiac. The constellations in the Safaitic inscriptions, Part I. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 25, 2014: 214-230.
Hava, J.G. Al-Faraid Arabic-English Dictionary. Fifth edition. Beirut: Dār al-Mašriq, 1982.
Inscriptions recorded by Ali Al-Manaser in Al-Wādī Al-Abyaḍ in June 2021

Date Found: 18/06/2021
Current Location: In situ
Subjects: Astronomical, Curse, Deity, Genealogy, Isolated Prayer, Place-name, Watering
Script: Safaitic
Old OCIANA ID: #0057503
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