Akuk the Nabataean Snail God

Akuk, the Snail God, is a little known god of the Nabataean people. The Nabataeans were a power in the Middle East in the first century BC and the first century AD. At one point they controlled most of what is now Jordan and the southern part of Syria. Their influence also extended into the deserts of Saudi Arabia. In the second century AD they were incorporated into the Roman Empire.

The worship of Akuk seems to have been mostly confined to the desert regions. It is known that there is a temple located in a hidden oasis in the Arabian desert but the exact location of it is now lost.

Information about the Snail God is sparse and mostly has to be deduced from the tales of 19th century explorers of the region and from the legends of the bedouin tribes who still live in the region.

My researches into this fascinating but obscure religion are very much in their early stages and these pages are little more than a collection of notes. If anyone has any information to share I would ask them please to contact me. My email address is dhp at snailgod.com.

David Huntley-Palmer
Emiritus Professor of Religious Anthropology