Thamūd

Thamūd, in ancient Arabia, tribe or group of tribes known to be extant from the 8th century bce to the 5th century ce. The Thamūd were known from contemporary sources to have occupied parts of the Hejaz region, and later Islamic tradition holds that they settled on the slopes of Mount Athlab. Numerous rock writings and pictures traditionally attributed to the Thamūd have been found on Mount Athlab and throughout central Arabia; though labeled “Thamūdic,” they actually reflect a diverse set of ancient Semitic dialects used by various Arabian tribes.

The Qurʾān mentions the Thamūd as examples of the transitoriness of worldly power. According to the Islamic tradition, the Thamūd were warned by the prophet Ṣāliḥ to worship Allāh, but the Thamūd stubbornly refused and as a result were annihilated either by a thunderbolt or by an earthquake.