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'The discovery is sensational since it shows that the origins of the Arabic alphabet used to write the Koran belong to a Christian context. This pre-Islamic alphabet is also called Nabatean Arabic because it evolved from the script used by the Nabateans, the once-powerful nation that built Petra and dominated the trade routes in the southern Levant and northern Arabia before being annexed by the Romans in the early 2nd century.' The Muslim tradition preserved in the book of the Koran portrays the pre-Islamic region as chaotic and filled with unrest that Mohammed manages to unify with the help of the powerful message of Islam. However, the Islamic text makes no mention of the numerous Christian and Jewish communities across the Saudi peninsula that flourished during the days of Mohammed. Recent studies of works by ancient Christians and Muslim records have reshaped our image of the societies that existed in the region and shed new light on the complex history of the region before the advent of Islam. One of the important kingdoms in Arabia at the time was the Jewish kingdom of Himyar. (Source: ancient-origins.net/news-history-a…