ʿAmrān

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Arabic عمران
ʿAmrān
ʿAmrān (Yemen)
ʿAmrān
ʿAmrān
Coordinates 15 ° 40 ′  N , 43 ° 56 ′  E Coordinates: 15 ° 40 ′  N , 43 ° 56 ′  E
Basic data
Country Yemen

Governorate

ʿAmrān
ISO 3166-2 YE-AM
height 2300 m
Residents 40,283 (2003)
ʿAmrān
ʿAmrān
House in ʿAmrān

ʿAmrān ( Arabic عمران) is a Yemeni city ​​in the Amrān governorate of the same name in the high basin of ʿAmrān in the north-west of the country. It is the junction on the route from Sana'a to Sa'da in the north . The mountain route, which is over 200 km long, was built and paved by the Chinese .

population

According to calculations in 2012, ʿAmrān had more than 90,000 inhabitants, with the city growing considerably. In 2003, according to official surveys, etwaAmrān still had around 40,000 inhabitants. Since the penultimate census in 1994 (around 28,000 inhabitants), this means a tripling of the population within eighteen years.

ʿAmrān lies in a high basin, the Qā al-Bawn . The population lives in scattered settlements along the edge of the basin. Recently there have been group settlements inside the basin, which is increasingly being developed. With the help of groundwater pump irrigation, which has replaced the rainwater harvesting method of terrace irrigation farming since the 1970s , the basin floor becomes economically important for the city.

history

ʿAmrān was founded as a Bakilic city ​​in the old South Arabian time of Saba before the turn of the times . The Bakīlen go back to Bakīl (brother Hashids ), founder of the largest tribal confederation in Yemen. At the time of the Sabaean kingdom, the place received a fortification, which increased the defenses during the clashes of the Sabaeans against several regionally resident tribes. The tribe of Marṯad is repeatedly mentioned in inscriptions . From the 3rd century on, ʿAmrān came under himyarite influence.

Remains of hewn stones that belonged to former temples and palace complexes still bear witness to the splendor of the past. A large stone inscription can be found in the western city gate ( Bab al-Kabir ). As is typical of the architecture of the Yemeni mountainous country, houses made of clay and stone predominate. ʿAmrān is completely surrounded by a city wall. The place has developed far beyond these in recent years. The city wall dates from 1720.

Converted Jewish traders, craftsmen and silversmiths lived in the area from the first half of the 6th century . They were repeatedly driven out and brought back again and again. They left the country for good as part of Operation Magic Carpet (1949/50). Their abandoned residential areas can still be viewed today.

As part of the Houthi conflict , which has been smoldering since 2004 , ʿAmrān became involved in the fighting across the borders of Sa'da Governorate .

Surroundings

ʿAmrān is located on the eastern edge of the western mountain slope . The high basin of ʿAmrān is petrologically characterized by limes that come from the area around Sanaa . The region is considered to be scenically spectacular. The valleys are deeply cut and convey the image of extreme verticals. The mountain world is very difficult to access, and paths are largely lacking. The western highlands offered protection against invading enemies. It is thanks to these circumstances that the tribal society in the highlands developed autochthonously over centuries.

In order to be able to obtain agricultural products from the rare fertile soils, the population has always been dependent on terraced agriculture. The fields are demarcated by stone walls to counteract soil erosion and protect the arable soils. For this purpose, the species-rich dry forests have been cleared since ancient times . Succulent euphorbias have established themselves as natural vegetation . Coffee can be grown where the valleys spread.

In the vicinity are the three ancient sites, Hāz , al-Ḥuqqa and Na'it .

In the course of the highway construction, the Chinese builders converted the city's medical center into a more efficient hospital.

See also

literature

  • Volker Höhfeld : Cities and urban growth in the Middle East - comparative case studies on the regional differentiation of recent urban development processes in the oriental-Islamic culture; Wiesbaden 2005 (= supplement to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East, Series B, No. 61).
  • Horst Kopp (Editor): Regional Geography Yemen , Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag Wiesbaden, 2005, ISBN 3-89500-500-2 .
  • Hermann von Wissmann : On the history and regional studies of old South Arabia ( Eduard Glaser Collection , No. 3 = Austrian Academy of Sciences, philosophical-historical class, meeting reports , volume 246) Böhlaus, Vienna 1964, especially p. 276 ff.

Web links

Commons : ʿAmrān  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horst Kopp (editor), Yemen geography (2005), Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag Wiesbaden, p. 91 Population figures of Yemeni provincial capitals 2003 (calculation by World Gezatteer)
  2. ↑ Gerhard Heck, Manfred Wöbcke, Arabian Peninsula
  3. ↑ a b c Horst Kopp (editor), regional geography Yemen (2005), Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag Wiesbaden, pp. 36–50; P. 87 plus map in the appendix
  4. ^ Hermann von Wissmann: On the history and regional studies of Old South Arabia ( Eduard Glaser Collection ), p. 361
  5. ↑ Andrey Korotayev , pre-Islamic Yemen. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1996. ISBN 3-447-03679-6 .
  6. ^ Daniel McLaughlin, Yemen: The Bradt Travel Guide
  7. ↑ annotated picture
  8. ↑ see map; In: Horst Kopp (editor): Länderkunde Yemen , Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag Wiesbaden, 2005, ISBN 3-89500-500-2 .
  9. ^ Daniel McLaughlin: Yemen . In: Bradt Travel Guide Yemen . Bradt Travel Guides, Chalfont St. Peter 2008, ISBN 978-1-84162-212-5 , p. 107 (English, 248 p., Limited preview in Google book search).