Archaeologists have found an early Islamic mosque with a preserved prayer to Prophet Muhammad carved into its qibla wall.
Saudi archaeologists have uncovered a mosque dating back more than 1,300 years in the Al-Baha region, offering a rare window into the earliest days of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula. The discovery includes a historic inscription on the mosque’s qibla wall that carries praise of Allah and a prayer for Prophet Muhammad, words that have survived intact across the centuries.
According to Gulf News, the find was made by Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission during the fourth season of excavations at the Al Maallamah site in the southwestern Al-Baha region. The mosque dates to the first century of the Islamic calendar, placing it among the formative years of Islamic architecture and worship. It was built from dressed granite stones, with a layout that pairs simplicity with precision.
The qibla wall, the feature that orients worshippers toward the Kaaba in Makkah and marks a building as a mosque, is at the heart of the discovery. Its inscription reads as a prayer of blessing upon the Prophet, left by people who prayed here more than a millennium ago.
Inside the Al-Baha mosque and its qibla wall inscription
The structure gives a clear picture of how early Muslims built their places of worship. According to Khaleej Times, the mosque measures about 10 meters by 16 meters and includes a mihrab, a square minaret positioned to the southeast of the site, and three entrances on the east, west and south. Traces of gypsum plaster still cling to the interior walls, and the building is attached to eight service rooms believed to have served social and commercial purposes.
The Heritage Commission shared videos of the site showing several Islamic inscriptions, including one on the qibla wall and another on an exterior wall. The prayer discovered on the qibla wall invokes blessings upon Muhammad, son of Abdullah, and addresses God as the Lord of all creation.
The location itself adds context. Al Maallamah was historically a mining center tied to the extraction of gold, silver and copper. Laboratory analysis of samples from earlier excavation seasons showed mining activity that began before Islam and flourished from the late sixth to the ninth century. That mining activity supported growing settlements, from temporary camps to smelting hubs and early towns.
Saudi Heritage Commission expands Al Maallamah excavations
Al-Baha sits in the mountainous Sarawat range in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, an area of terraced farms, stone villages and old caravan routes that once linked the Red Sea coast to the interior. The mosque was found in a residential area on the western side of the Al Maallamah site.
The discovery is part of a wider heritage program across the kingdom. The Heritage Commission said it would continue surveys and excavations nationwide while developing methods to document and protect its finds. Excavation at Al Maallamah is ongoing, and researchers expect further work at the site to reveal more about the community that built the mosque and the early Islamic period in the region.
Follow us for more updates and news!
