Safaitic (Arabic: صفوية or صفائية‎) is the name given to an Ancient North Arabian dialect, preserved in the form of inscriptions which are written using an Ancient North Arabian alphabet. These inscriptions were written by bedouin and semi-nomadic inhabitants of the Syro-Arabian desert. Dating of the inscriptions, although problematic, is conventionally placed between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD.