Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex
Early South Arabian (800 BCE-600 CE)·Sabaean·🇾🇪 Marib Governorate, Yemen
About
About Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex
Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex in Marib Governorate, Yemen is a Early South Arabian (800 BCE-600 CE) hydraulic attributed to Sabaean. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 12 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 15.3979N 45.3135E controls access to Marib Governorate resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey hydraulic for Marib Governorate, illustrating Sabaean construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
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
- Period
- Early South Arabian (800 BCE-600 CE)
- Culture
- Sabaean
- Purpose
- Water management and storage for settlement and agriculture
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 750 BCE
Initial construction of Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex main structure
c. 738 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
15.3979° N · 45.3135° E · 1121 m · 4 mapped features
- Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — Main Hydraulic FeaturechamberPrimary chamber at Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits15.3988° N · 45.3148° E
- Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — Secondary EnclosurecairnAncillary cairn at Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — platform mound with stratified deposits15.3982° N · 45.3151° E
- Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — Outlier Rock Art PanelplazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex ceremonial landscape15.3965° N · 45.3121° E
- Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex — Hydraulic/Cistern AnnexreservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Marib Great Dam North Sluice Annex with plastered basin15.3986° N · 45.3140° E