‘Muawiya Dam’ in Taif and 6 sentences written on its walls

There are 70 dams located in Taif that belong to ancient times. These dams were built at different times in history. 

These ancient dams were built by different civilizations at different points in time. Saudi Press agency published a report claiming that out of these 70 ancient dams of Taif, 20 still exist.

Some of these dams are equipped with a foundation stone that is engraved on the rocks.

This engraved writing not only reveals the date when the dam was constructed but also reveals that who got the dam constructed. 

Muawiya Dam: One such masterpiece is the Muawiya Dam’. It is also referred to as the ‘Saiysad Dam’. It lies only 12km southeast of Taif.

It was built in the Saiysad Valley in the middle of the mountains. The dam used to collect water that would come down through mountains after rain occurred.

 

The foundation rock of the dam is still present and is readable. It rests on a mountain on which the dam’s front was built.

According to the engraved information, the dam was built by Abdullah bin Sakhr during the reign of Muawiyah bin Abi-Sufyan, who was an Umayyad Caliph.

The dam was built in the 58th Hijri year. The engraved words are written in Arabic Magazi handwriting. The entire text is engraved without any dots. The text is as long as six lines. The English translations of these six lines are:

• 1^st Line: The dam is belonging of Muawiya, who worships God
• 2^nd Line: He is a Caliph of Muslim and the dam is built by Abdullah bin Sakhr
• 3^rd Line: it was built in the year 58, only by the Grace of God
• 4^th Line: may Allah forgive his worshipper, Muawiya
• 5^th Line: May Allah forgive his sins, help him and provide benefit
• 6^th Line: to the ones who believe through him. This is written by Amr ibn Habab

Source: Al Arabiya