Al-Kutbay

Al-Kutba' (Arabic: الكتبي) was a north Arabian deity of uncertain gender. The name means, roughly, "the scribe"; it comes from the Semitic root K-T-B which means 'to write.'

Kutba' is represented as a betyl in Wadi Rum alongside al-'Uzza. The gender of this god is disputed. Because of the god's name originating from the root word K-T-B or "to write", it is considered that Kutba' was a god of intellect including writing.

Nabataeans and other mercantile Arab tribes brought the worship of al-Kutbay from Petra in Jordan to Egypt. A temple to the god has been discovered at Qasr Gheit, built in characteristic Egyptian style. An altar-base in this temple, is inscribed with the Nabataean dedication: "from Hawyru son of Geram to al-Kutbay."

In the Hellenistic era, al-Kutbay was associated with Hermes and Mercury. This Hermes association may have been a misinterpretation, as Al-Kutbay's distinction as the god of writing may be likened to Hermes Trismegistus, hence the Hermes association.