al-Kutbay
deity earth Nabataean single tradition · 1
Al-Kutbay was a north Arabian deity of uncertain gender whose name means 'the scribe' and comes from the Semitic root K-T-B meaning 'to write.' The deity is considered a god of intellect including writing, and is represented as a betyl in Wadi Rum alongside al-'Uzza. Nabataeans and other mercantile Arab tribes brought the worship of al-Kutbay from Petra in Jordan to Egypt, where a temple was built at Qasr Gheit.
When
- First attested
- 300 BCE
- Attested period
- -300 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Carving discovered in 1959 at Jebal Rumm; associated with Hermes and Mercury in the Hellenistic era; worship spread from Petra to Egypt.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- al-'Uzza
Sources
wikipedia (1)
Source passages
“Al-Kutba' (Arabic: الكتبي) was a north Arabian deity of uncertain gender. The name means, roughly, 'the scribe'; it comes from the Semitic root K-T-B which means 'to write.' Because of the god's name originating from the root word K-T-B or 'to write', it is considered that Kutba' was a god of intellect”
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