Graffiti

Graffiti is a kind of street art that involves writing, painting, or drawing on a wall or other surface, often without the owner's consent and while the work is visible to the public. Graffiti has been around since ancient times, with instances reaching back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. It may be as basic as scribbled phrases or as ornate as wall murals, and it can take on a wide variety of forms.

The topic of graffiti is one that sparks debate. Property owners and civic authorities in most countries consider marking or painting property without permission to be defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime. This is because of the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. From the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s, graffiti spread to the rest of the United States, Europe, and other world regions, where it is now seen as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialised nations. This perception began after graffiti was first seen in New York City.

Originally, the word "graffiti" referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and other forms of artwork that were discovered on the walls of ancient tombs or ruins, such as those found in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. The definition of the term has expanded over time to include any visuals that are put on surfaces in a way that is considered to be vandalism.

Graffiti, which are writings scratched on the surface of rocks and boulders in the primarily basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan, and northern Saudi Arabia, are the sole known source of the Safaitic language, which is an old version of Arabic. The Safaitic language was spoken between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD.