What is allat?

Allat is a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was worshipped by the tribe of Banu Thaqif in the city of Taif. She was considered the goddess of fertility, agriculture, and the moon. Allat was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca along with Al-Uzza and Manat, and she was particularly revered by the Quraysh tribe.

Allat's name means "the goddess" or "the feminine" in Arabic, and she was often depicted as a beautiful woman holding a stalk of corn or a serpent. Her worship involved rituals such as sacrifices, offerings of food and drink, and pilgrimages to her sacred sanctuary in Taif. Allat was believed to bring prosperity and abundance to her worshippers, and her cult was an important aspect of pre-Islamic Arabian religion.

With the rise of Islam in the 7th century, the worship of Allat and other pagan deities was gradually replaced by the monotheistic religion of Islam. The Qur'an explicitly condemns the worship of pagan gods and goddesses, including Allat, and encourages believers to worship only Allah, the one true God. Today, Allat is largely forgotten except among scholars of ancient Arabian religion.