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Khalifah Rock

A Rock Witness Bearing Early Islamic Inscriptions near Arafat

Makkah

It is an archaeological site located between Mount Khushrub and Mount Al-Ahdab, east of Makkah. It includes a large rock inscribed with early Islamic inscriptions dating back to the first and second centuries of the Hijra, including an inscription bearing the name of Mus'ab ibn Shaybah, the Custodian of the Kaaba.

Khalifah Rock, also known as Shi'b Al-Khallas, is located to the right of those coming from Arafat to Muzdalifah via Road No. (9), about two kilometers after passing the holy site of Arafat. The road veers east towards Wadi Khushrub, a gorge separating Mount Khushrub to the east and Mount Al-Ahdab to the west.

At the bottom of this valley lies a huge rock whose faces are inscribed with a large collection of early Islamic inscriptions dating back to the first and second centuries of the Hijra. These are considered among the oldest epigraphic evidence in the Makkah region.

Among the most prominent of these is an inscription bearing the name of Mus'ab ibn Shaybah, who was the Custodian (Hajib) of the Holy Kaaba during that era, along with other inscriptions carrying names and supplications. They document moments from the history of the early Muslims who passed through this blessed path between the Holy Sites.

The site represents a unique rock registry documenting the beginnings of Islamic Arabic writing in the Makkah region, and also reveals the nature of communication and passage between Arafat and Muzdalifah in the early days of Islam.