Marib and the Great Dam

The Capital Of The Ancient Kingdom Of Saba, The Queen Of Sheba'S Biblical Land, With The Ruins Of The Great Dam Of Marib (Built Around 700 BC And Breached In About AD 570), The Mahram Bilqis Temple And The Barran Temple. Famous In The Quran And The Bible. A Front Line Area In The Current War With Landmines And Regular Fighting · Marib, Marib

Marib was the capital of the Sabaean kingdom, which grew rich on frankincense and myrrh traded across Arabia. Tradition links it with the Queen of Sheba. The Great Dam of Marib was built about 700 BC, stored seasonal floods and fed a large oasis through sluice gates, and it finally gave way around AD 570, an event even the Quran recalls. The surviving stone sluices and walls stand in Wadi Adhanah. Nearby are Mahram Bilqis, also called the Temple of the Moon God, with its eight standing pillars, the large oval temple of Awwam, and the Barran temple. The old city of Marib, built on its mound of ruins, and the desert edge complete the picture of a trading kingdom that lasted well over a thousand years. Marib is a front-line area in the current war, with fighting and landmines, and this must be said plainly. Most governments advise against all travel to Yemen, and this region is among the most dangerous parts of it. Read your own government's advice first.

Marib city and the ruins of the old Sabaean capital on the edge of the Ramlat as-Sabatayn desert, about 120 km east of Sana'a; the dam site lies in Wadi Adhanah, Marib, Marib, Yemen

The ruins have no gates or ticket office in normal times, and the open ground of the Great Dam, Awwam and Mahram Bilqis is FREE to look at in daylight. Do not rely on any fixed hours. Access is often CLOSED by the military or local authorities because of the fighting, and escorts or checkpoints may block any approach. The small museum in Marib city, if open, is CLOSED on Fridays. Nothing is staffed on a schedule, and nobody should enter ruins outside daylight. Confirm the situation locally on the day with a trusted contact before moving anywhere.

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