kingdom · Arabia and the Gulf

Kingdom of Dedan

700 BCE – 500 BCE (approx.) · capital Dedan

An oasis kingdom at al-Ula in the Hejaz, a key stop on the incense road and precursor of the Lihyanite kings.

Origins

Dedan, the ancient name of the oasis at al-Ula, is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a trading people. A local monarchy is attested in Dadanitic inscriptions from around the 7th century BCE. The oasis grew rich supplying water and provisions to caravans moving between south Arabia and the Levant.

Rule and society

Kings of Dedan are known by name from short inscriptions, and the town had sanctuaries of the god Dhu Ghabat. In the mid-6th century BCE the Babylonian king Nabonidus campaigned in the Hejaz and listed Dedan among the oases he took while residing at Tayma. A colony of Minaean merchants from the Kingdom of Ma'in was later based there.

Decline and legacy

After the Babylonian interlude the oasis came under the Lihyanite dynasty, and the Kingdom of Lihyan ruled from the same site. The ruins at al-Khuraybah near al-Ula, with their temple and lion tombs, are now excavated.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Kingdom of DedanKingdom of Lihyan 500 BCE – 65 BCE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Dedan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dedan
MLA
“Kingdom of Dedan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dedan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Dedan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dedan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Dedan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dedan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻