Исламға дейінгі Араб әйе құдайы: әл-Лат

Pre Islamic Arabian goddess

al Lat (اللات, ), also spelled Allat, Allatu, and Alilat, is a pre Islamic Arabian goddess, at one time worshipped under various associations throughout the entire Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca, where she was worshipped alongside Al Uzza and Manat as one of the daughters of Allah. The word Allat or Elat has been used to refer to various goddesses in the ancient Near East, including the goddess Asherah Athirat. The worship of al Lat is attested in South Arabian inscriptions as Lat and Latan, but she had more prominence in north Arabia and the Hejaz, and her cult reached as far as Syria. The writers of the Safaitic script frequently invoked al Lat in their inscriptions. She was also worshipped by the Nabataeans and was associated with al 'Uzza. The presence of her cult was attested in both Palmyra and Hatra. Under Greco Roman influence, her iconography began to show the attributes of Athena, the Greek goddess of war, as well as her Roman equivalent Minerva. According to Islamic sources, the tribe of Banu Thaqif in Ta'if especially held reverence to her. In Islamic tradition, her worship ended when her temple in Ta'if was demolished on the orders of Muhammad.

In Ta'if, al Lat's primary cult image was a cubic stone, sometimes described as white in color. Waqidi's mention of the 'head' (ra's) of ar Rabba may imply that the image was perceived in human or animal form, although Julius Wellhausen resisted this implication. Early Palmyrene depictions of al Lat share iconographical traits with Atargatis (when seated) and Astarte (when standing). The Lion of Al Lat that once adorned her temple depicts a lion and a gazelle, the lion representing her consort, and the gazelle representing al Lat's tender and loving traits, as bloodshed was not permitted under penalty of al Lat's retaliation. Al Lat was associated with the Greek goddess Athena (and by extension, the Roman Minerva) in Nabataea, Hatra and Palmyra. It seems that her identification with Athena was only a mere change in iconography, and al Lat's character noticeably softened the warlike Athena in places where she was equated with al Lat. One Nabataean relief of Athena al Lat depicts the goddess bearing both Athena and al Lat's attributes. The relief depicts the goddess in the style of Athena, but having a Nabataean religion stylized eye betyl in place of the Gorgoneion. Al Lat can also be identified with the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, with both of the deities taking part in prosperity, warfare, and later being linked to Aphrodite and Athena. The two's similarities also appeared in their symbols, as both were associated with lions, morning star and crescents. Like Al Lat, Ishtar's origin was of Semitic roots.

The Lion of Al Lat statue that adorned her temple in Palmyra was damaged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2015 but has been since restored. It now stands in the National Museum of Damascus, but it may be returned to Palmyra in the future.