al-Lat | |
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Goddess of war, peace, combat, and prosperity | |
![]() Al-Lāt with a palm branch and lion from the Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, 1st century AD. Damascus, Syria | |
Major cult center | Palmyra, Iram,[1] Ta'if (according to Islamic sources) |
Symbol | Lion, gazelle, crescent, cubic rock |
Region | Arabia |
Genealogy | |
Siblings | Al-Uzza, Manat |
Consort |
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Children | Dushara (Nabataean tradition) |
Equivalents | |
Greek equivalent | Athena |
Roman equivalent | Minerva |
Canaanite equivalent | Astarte, Atargatis |
Carthaginian equivalent | Allatu |
Part of the myth series on Religions of the ancient Near East |
Pre-Islamic Arabian deities |
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Arabian deities of other Semitic origins |
al-Lat (Arabic: اللات, romanized: al-Lāt, pronounced [alːaːt]), 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.[3] 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.[4]