Marib Dam
Ma'rib Dam · Sadd Ma'rib · Dam of Sheba
Sabaean Kingdom, Early South Arabian (~1750 BCE – 570 CE)·Sabaean (South Arabian, Kingdom of Saba)·🇾🇪 Ma'rib Governorate, Yemen
About
About Marib Dam
Earthfill diversion dam spanning the Wadi Adhanah and flanked by the limestone North and South Sluices with Sabaean monumental inscriptions. At 580 m long and 4 m high with spillways, it impounded runoff from the Yemen highlands to irrigate perhaps 10,000 ha of date, millet and frankincense gardens that underwrote Sabaean wealth. Its breach circa 570 CE entered legend as the Sayl al-Arim flood cited in the Qur'an.
Why it mattersEarthfill diversion dam spanning the Wadi Adhanah and flanked by the limestone North and South Sluices with Sabaean monumental inscriptions. At 580 m long and 4 m high with spillways, it impounded run
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01How Sabaean engineers managed flash-flood hydrology without mortar
- 02Whether late antique neglect reflects climate drying or warfare
Theories
- 01Centralized Sabaean state hydraulic power as source of Queen of Sheba's wealth
- 02Gradual siltation and seismic damage as failure cause rather than single breach
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.750 BCE (major Sabaean phase), remodelled 4th–6th century CE
- Period
- Sabaean Kingdom, Early South Arabian (~1750 BCE – 570 CE)
- Culture
- Sabaean (South Arabian, Kingdom of Saba)
- Purpose
- Cyclopean diversion dam for oasis irrigation controlling Wadi Adhanah floods
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.750 BCE (major Sabaean phase), remodelled 4th–6th century CE
Initial construction
c. 1090 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
15.3956° N · 45.3495° E · 980 m · 2 mapped features
North Sluice
sluiceMonumental limestone sluice with Sabaean inscriptions and bronze gate fittings
15.3970° N · 45.3470° ESouth Sluice
sluiceTwin sluice with spillway controlling southern oasis fields
15.3940° N · 45.3510° E
Gallery