Marib Wadi Dhana South Dam — Sabaean Southern Oasis Spillway
South Marib spillway · Jannatul Janub
Sabaean to Himyarite (800 BCE – 575 CE)·Sabaean Kingdom (Saba) and Himyarite maintenance·🇾🇪 Marib Governorate, Marib desert margin, Wadi Dhana southern bank spillway and south dam core, Yemen
About
About Marib Wadi Dhana South Dam — Sabaean Southern Oasis Spillway
Southern dam core and spillway of the Great Dam of Marib (8th c. BCE – 570s CE breach) on Wadi Adhanah/Dhana in the Balaq Hills, 763 m long rock-fill gravity dam with two sluices (north and south) controlling the southern oasis of Saba's capital Ma'rib of the Queen of Sheba (Sheba). Modern 1986 dam 38 m high replicates ancient. UNESCO 2023 World Heritage in Danger.
Why it mattersSouthern spillway shows Marib was twin-oasis hydraulic polity, not single reservoir, and final 575 breach caused mass migration of Arab tribes
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Dating 8th vs 7th BCE start epigraphic vs strat
- 02575 breach cause neglect vs earthquake
Theories
- 01Sabaean hydraulic kingship state model
- 02Quranic flood memory historiography
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 8th BCE start earthfill; 6th–5th BCE stone facing; breach 575 CE
- Period
- Sabaean to Himyarite (800 BCE – 575 CE)
- Culture
- Sabaean Kingdom (Saba) and Himyarite maintenance
- Purpose
- Oasis irrigation for 9,600 ha of Ma'rib plain fame
- Abandoned
- 570s CE final breach after maintenance lapse
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
800 BCE
Earthfill dam start
550 CE
Abraha repair inscription
575 CE
Sadd al-Arim breach, Quran 34:16 Sayl al-Arim Flood
On the ground
Structures & features
15.3950° N · 45.2680° E · 1146 m · 3 mapped features
South Sluice Ashlar Tunnel
sluiceSouth sluice 30 m ashlar tunnel with inscription shaft
15.3953° N · 45.2685° EBreach Gap 150 m
breachFinal breach gully 150 m wide with stratified fills
15.3960° N · 45.2688° EModern Marib Dam Crest
dam1986 modern 38 m dam 763 m replication 1 km west
15.3950° N · 45.2675° E
Gallery