The Tayma stone is 37 cm on each side and is made of soft stone. Engravings on two sides of the stone depict a prominent relief sculpture surrounded by an ornate frame of roses. The story of the discovery of this unique cubic stone dates back to the summer of February 1979, beneath the sands of the historic Al-Hamra Palace located in the western part of Tayma in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Archaeologists were working inside one of the dug trenches and had only discovered a few pottery fragments and other small artifacts. Suddenly, as they continued digging, they uncovered a decorated cubical stone with hollow engravings, revealing a story where cultures intertwined. This story dates back to the 6th century BCE, a time of prosperity for Tayma during the reign of the Babylonian king Nabonidus, which lasted for ten years. Caravans of trade roamed the vast Arabian Peninsula from the south of Yemen to the lands of Mesopotamia and the Levant. Tayma Oasis served as a meeting point for those caravans due to its strategic location. The engravings on the cubic stone reflect the execution style of three different artistic schools. The figure depicted on the two sides of the stone, with its profile shape and detailed clothing, belongs to the Babylonian period and represents its religious symbols. The star and crescent are artistic features of Mesopotamia, where the star represents the planet Ishtar, and the crescent symbolizes the moon. The winged sun disk engraved on both sides belongs to the art of ancient Egyptian civilization. The depiction of the bull's head from the front, which is one of the illustrated subjects in religious art with a strong cultural influence in the Arabian Peninsula, completes the diverse representations.

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The Tayma stone represents a magnificent artistic masterpiece, meticulously carved with precision. It showcases various decorative styles, both hollow and prominent, indicating that the Tayma artist excelled in this art. This suggests the likelihood that the people of Tayma were familiar with this art during the Babylonian presence and adopted and adapted it to their society and environment. It also indicates the presence of a diverse cultural environment in Tayma and the occurrence of cultural exchanges between its people and the neighboring regions.

The engravings on the Tayma stone only appear on two sides out of the four. Could the two unengraved sides be embedded in the wall of a building as architectural ornamentation? Many questions arise about this stone. Is it a local production or imported from outside the region? What was its purpose? Does it have counterparts in other civilizations? Which cultures are represented on its sides?

References: Bowden, Garth. Muller, Robert. Edens, Christopher. The Preliminary Excavations in Taima 1399 AH / 1979 CE, Ruins, Issue 4.

Al-thibi, Muhammad. (2011). The symbols inscribed on the cubic stone altar of Tayma and its civilization significance, Gulf Journal for History and Archeology, Riyadh, Issue 6.

Al-Qahtani, Rznih, (2018). The obelisks of Tayma Oasis, a comparative study, Yearbook of the Faculty of Arabic Language, Zagazig University, No. 33.