Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Deity

Al-Lat

Nabataean Deities

Al-Lat, also spelled Allat, was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess worshipped across the Arabian Peninsula, including at Mecca alongside Al-Uzza and Manat, and was regarded as the feminine counterpart, consort, or daughter of Allah. Her cult held particular prominence in north Arabia and the Hejaz and reached into Syria; writers of the Safaitic script frequently invoked her in their inscriptions, and her worship is attested at Palmyra and Hatra. The Nabataeans actively worshipped Al-Lat, equating her with the Greek goddess Athena and the Roman goddess Minerva and regarding her as mother of the deities, her family relation to Dushara varying between consort and mother; Nabataean inscriptions call both her and Al-Uzza, already recorded on this atlas, the brides of Dushara. Her worship ended in the seventh century when her temple at Ta'if was destroyed on the orders of Muhammad.

Facts
Attestation
Era of Attestation
from 500 BCE 2
Veneration Today
Historically attested; no continuous cult 1
Historicity
Not a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1
Identity
Gender
Female 1
Belief
Theology
Polytheistic: many gods 1
Function
Domain / Function
Fertility and generation 1
Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. The Religion of the Nabataeans: A Conspectus
John F. Healey, Brill, 2001Al-Lat, Herodotus as Alilat, pre-Islamic ArabiaView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.