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Ma'rib

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Ma'rib
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Ancient city ruins, north-central Yemen. The ancient fortified city of Ma'rib was the centre of the pre-Islamic state of Saba' (950 – 115 BC). It was located on one of the caravan routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Peninsula, and it prospered through its trading monopoly on frankincense and myrrh. The ancient Ma'rib Dam was built c. 7th century BC to regulate the waters of the Wadi Sadd; some 1,800 ft (550 m) long, it irrigated more than 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) and supported a densely settled agricultural region. The dam was destroyed by the 7th century AD and possibly earlier.

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Wikipedia: Ma'rib
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Main article: Ancient history of Yemen
"Mareb" redirects here. For the river in Ethiopia, see Mareb River.
"Mariba" redirects here. For the small town in the United States, see Mariba, Kentucky.
Ma'rib
The ruins of Old Marib, which lies to the south of the modern city
Ma'rib is located in Yemen
Ma'rib
Location in Yemen
Coordinates: 15°25′N 45°21′E / 15.417°N 45.35°E / 15.417; 45.35
Country  Yemen
Governorate Ma'rib Governorate
Time zone Yemen Standard Time (UTC+3)

Ma'rib (Arabic: مأرب‎) or Marib is the capital town of the Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen and was the capital of the Sabaean kingdom (Ancient Sheba of biblical fame[1]). It is located at 15°25′0″N 45°21′0″E / 15.416667°N 45.35°E / 15.416667; 45.35, approximately 120 kilometers east of Yemen's modern capital, Sana'a. It has a current population of 16,794.

Contents

History

Main article: Sabaeans

The Sabaean kingdom was located in what is now the Aseer region in southwestern Yemen. The Sabaean kings made their capital at Marib, and built great irrigation works such as the Marib dams, whose ruins are still visible. They also built castles and temples in the area, and were known for trading the valuable frankincense[1] and myrrh.[2] They were a seafaring people and known to have influence and a population in the East African kingdom of Dʿmt, across the Red Sea in Eritrea and perhaps Ethiopia, the only other source of both frankincense and myrrh.

In 25 B.C., Aelius Gallus led "an expedition to Marib (Yemen)."[3]

The Bar'an temple in Marib. Built in the 8th century BC and performed its function for nearly 1000 years.

The site of Ancient Marib was largely abandoned during the 20th century. Although a small village remains, the multi-story mud-brick buildings of the historic city are largely in ruins. The modern city of Marib is located about 3.5 kilometers north of the center of the ancient city.

2007 attack

A suicide bomber crashed a car packed with explosives into a tourists' convoy as they were ending a tour of a temple, killing 7 Spanish tourists and their two Yemeni guides in an attack on July 2, 2007. Yemeni officials have blamed al-Qaeda for the attack.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Saba / Sa'abia / Sheba". © 1999-2008 Kessler Associates. http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsMiddEast/ArabicSaba.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-27. "The kingdom of Saba is known to have existed in the region of Yemen. By 1000 BC caravan trains of camels journeyed from Oman in south-east Arabia to the Mediterranean. As the camel drivers passed through the deserts of Yemen, experts believe that many of them would have called in at Marib. Dating from at least 1050 BC, and now barren and dry, Marib was then a lush oasis teeming with palm trees and exotic plants. Ideally placed, it was situated on the trade routes and with a unique dam of vast proportions. It was also one of only two main sources of frankincense (the other being East Africa), so Saba had a virtual monopoly. Marib's wealth accumulated to such an extent that the city became a byword for riches beyond belief throughout the Arab world. Its people, the Sabeans - a group whose name bears the same etymological root as Saba - lived in South Arabia between the tenth and sixth centuries BC. Their main temple - Mahram Bilqis, or temple of the moon god (situated about three miles from the capital city of Marib) - was so famous that it remained sacred even after the collapse of the Sabean civilisation in the sixth century BC - caused by the rerouting of the spice trail. By the that point the dam, now in a poor state of repair, was finally breached. The irrigation system was lost, the people abandoned the site within a year or so, and the temple fell into disrepair and was eventually covered by sand. Saba was known by the Hebrews as Sheba." 
  2. ^ Age of Faith, p. 156
  3. ^ Chris Scarre, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome (London: Penguin Books, 1995), 9. (also Augustus' Res Getae 26)
  4. ^ Al Jazeera English - News - Al-Qaeda Blamed For Yemen Attack

See also

References

External links


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