Unknown Structures of Dadan in Saudi Arabia

Unknown Structures of Dadan in Saudi Arabia. Lion Tombs of Dadan, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. The Lion Tombs of Dadan (Dedan) are two rock-cut burial niches decorated with reliefs of lions in the ancient oasis of Dadan, close to today’s city of Al-Ula in Madinah Province. Carved in the eastern facade of Jabl Dadan, the tombs are square-shaped holes, cut at different heights out of the side of the mountain, their cavities being about two meters deep. They are approximately dated to the 5th century BCE. Only 2 of the tombs are decorated with two carved lions each, showing probably the importance of their owners. According to the religious beliefs of the day, the lions protected those buried within the tombs. These two tombs were known as al-Aswad Tombs and were carved by the Lihyanites, the people who inhabited the oasis and created the powerful Kingdom of Dedan. The tombs are dated back between the 600 BCE-500 BCE.