Ancient Hajj Route between Arabian Peninsula and Iraq Was Corridor for Arab Tribes

Rafha, The ancient Hajj route "Darb Zubayda," or Zubayda Overland Route, which connects Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, was a corridor for Arab tribes, with the first reference to this route in the third century BC. In remarks to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), professor of ancient antiquities Mona Abdul Karim Al-Qaisi, at the Faculty of Archeology at the University of Kufa in Iraq, explained that the first reference to this road was in the third century BC, and the Akkadian peoples who came from the Arabian Peninsula arrived through it and reached southern Iraq, mainly to the outskirts of Warka city. The corridor for the tribes was active throughout history and was marked with points and commercial centers linking the north of the Arabian Peninsula and the south of Iraq. The second active period of this road was in the Achaemenid Empire and was called "Al-Muthaqqaf." It later was called Al-Hira Road, which extends along the Euphrates River, connects to the Silk Road, which comes from the Arabian Gulf and hea ds to Nasiriyah, Dumat Al-Jandul, ascends to Seleucia (Ctesiphon), then to the ancient city of Hatra, and from there to Wadi Al-Tharthar, Sinjar, and Anatolia. During the Islamic era, 'Darb Zubayda' begins from Kufa to Makkah. Attending cultural events held on Darb Zubayda, Al-Qaisi underlined the importance of excavation to reach the road lines from prehistoric times, stressing that the excavations between Samawah and Diwaniyah had great discoveries, including of pre-Islamic Arabs and the lines that explain the entry of ancient peoples from this region and the delegations into the countries of Sumer and Akkad. Source: Saudi Press Agency