Dushara

Dhu 'l-Sharā "Lord of the Mountain", also known in Greek transliteration as Dusares, was worshipped at Petra (of which city he was the patron deity) by the Nabataeans. In Greek times, he was associated with Zeus because he was the chief of the Nabataean pantheon. HeHis sanctuary at Petra contained a great temple in which a large cubical stone (Ka'ba) was the centrepiece.

According to the Book of Idols (Kitab al-Asnām) by Hishām b. al-Kalbi, "The Banu al-Hārith ibn-Yashkur ibn-Mubashshir of the Azd had an idol called Dhu al-Shara."

Reference

Ibn al-Kalbī (author) and Nabih Amin Faris (translator & commentary) (1952): The Book of Idols, Being a Translation from the Arabic of the Kitāb al-Asnām. Princeton University Press. US Library of Congress #52006741

External link

• Nabataean religion
• The Kitab al-Asnam ("Book of Idols"): translation as posted by an evangelical Christian site.
• Kitab al-Asnam in the original Arabic (description on p. 5)