Ma'rib dam
Coordinates: 15 ° 24 ′ 5 ″ N , 45 ° 16 ′ 7 ″ E
The Ma'rib dam was built in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. Long before, it has been proven that since the 3rd millennium BC Chr. Dams and flood dams in Wadi Dhanah in the Sabaean capital Ma'rib built or operated. The dam was considered the largest technical structure of antiquity and a wonder of Arabia. The dam is part of the coat of arms of the Republic of Yemen .
General
Since the Yemeni highlands and the edge of the Ramlat es-Sayhad are poor in rainfall, was already in the 3rd millennium BC. . As in other places in BC South Arabia built dams in Wadi Dhanah to the seasonally flowing water of Sayl - flood to save.
Great dam
The youngest and most important complex was built by the Sabaean Mukarriben Sumuhu'ali Yanuf II and Yitha'amar Bayyin II . It reached a length of 680 m and approx. 20 m height and enabled the irrigation of approx. 9600 ha of cultivated land in the 21 km long and eight km wide oasis .
There are different opinions about the dating of the dam. Hermann von Wissmann puts it at the end of the 6th century BC. BC, KA Kitchen, however, in the first half of the 4th century BC.
The dam offered from the 8th century BC. BC to the 5th or 6th century AD the livelihood in the desert around the city of Ma'rib, the largest city in ancient South Arabia.
The locks
The dam consisted of an earth dam , which closed off the valley of the wadi and is no longer available today, and two lock structures on the north and south slopes. These structures, which have been partially preserved, are 145 m long, 50 m wide and 13 m high and consist of three pillars with two passages. The walls were partially destroyed in past centuries because the stones were used for other structures. They are currently being excavated by archaeologists, rebuilt and are to be declared a Unesco cultural heritage .
The locks were used for irrigation; the water was first directed to the fields in the oasis via a primary channel and subsequent distribution channels. The locks also had brick overflows (a flood relief ), where excess water could safely be drained into stilling basins .
Because of the mud deposits of one centimeter per year, the dam and all structures had to be increased frequently. They were completely demolished and rebuilt several times. Repairs were also often necessary after dam breaks due to floods.
Decline
With the decline of trade on the Frankincense Route since the turn of the Christian era, the dam began to be increasingly neglected. This has led to several dam breaks since the 4th century. King Sharahbil Yafur reportedly had the dam repaired in AD 449, but floods damaged it again in 450. The dam was repaired again. For the last time in 542, during the reign of the Viceroy Abraha , a Christian ruler from the Aksumite Empire , a major break and the restoration of the dam were reported. The last known inscription referring to the dam dates from that year (according to other sources from 548 ). It is reported that the Viceroy ordered repairs and ordered large quantities of supplies for the many workers, including 200,000 sheep and goats, 50,000 sacks of flour and 26,000 boxes of dates. Apparently the reconstruction was carried out promptly.
However, since the population lost its economic basis with the decline in the incense trade , the dam also lost its importance due to the withdrawal of people. Historians believe that the final disaster happened shortly afterwards, after which the Saba Plains turned into a desert. Some scientists say the last dam breach occurred between 542 and 570 or 572. After this new dam breach, repairs were not carried out, whereupon the cultivated land quickly deserted and Ma'rib was finally abandoned. Others tend to assume it is in the seventh century. The Koran mentions the dam breaking in sura 34 "Saba" verse 15. The loss of the dam has been attributed to various causes, ranging from volcanic activity to earthquakes to neglect. Robert B. Jansen thinks the latter is the most likely.
Ancient site today
The remains of the dam are considered the most significant ancient site in Yemen as it is considered to be one of the greatest technical "wonders" of the ancient world. Together with other important cultural sites in and around Ma'rib, such as the Bar'an Temple, the Awwam Temple and necropolis, the Wadi Ghufaina settlement and the al-Mabna dam, the large dam is also (as the Archaeological site of Marib ) listed on Yemen's tentative list .
During the 2015 military intervention in Yemen , the ruins of the historic dam were damaged in an air raid on the night of May 31, 2015, according to local news reports and information from archaeological experts. According to reports, the ancient Sabaean inscriptions on the dam walls could also be affected by the bombing. The confirmation of the first reports on the destruction of the dam on May 31, 2015 in social media and local news sources initially proved difficult for international archaeologists due to the far-reaching communication problems in Yemen. Yemeni authorities blamed the Saudi Arabian coalition forces for the air strike. The General Authority for Antiquities and Museums in Yemen condemned the attack and threatened an appeal against the Saudi government. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokowa condemned the air strikes and expressed her "deep concern", with express reference to the damage to the great Ma'rib dam. She described it as one of the most important cultural heritage sites on the Arabian Peninsula and as a testimony to the history and values that unite humanity.
New dam
In 1986, with the support of Abu Dhabi, a new dam was built in Wadi Dhanah three kilometers above the old dam for the economic development of the country. This is 760 m long and 40 m high and is supposed to supply 10,000 hectares of land with water.
See also
literature
- Norman Smith: A History of Dams. 1971
- Michael Schaloske: Investigations of the Sabaean irrigation systems in Mārib. ( Ancient Technology. Volume 3; Archaeological Reports from Yemen. Volume 7). Sana'a 1995, ISBN 3-8053-1488-4
- The largest dam in the ancient world. picture of science, 5/2003
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Yusuf Abdallah: The past is alive: People, landscape and history in Yemen. P. 481
- ↑ Werner Daum: Yemen - 3000 years of history. P. 10 f.
- ↑ a b c d e f g 'Engineering Marvel' of Queen of Sheba's City Damaged in Airstrike ( Memento from June 5, 2015 on WebCite ) (English). news.nationalgeographic.com, June 3, 2015, by Kristin Romey.
- ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original from October 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Robert B. Jansen, 1980: dams from the beginning (doc file, 3490 kB) (accessed June 8, 2016)
- ↑ a b c d e UNESCO Director-General condemns airstrikes on Yemen's cultural heritage ( Memento from June 6, 2015 on WebCite ) (English). unesco.org, June 2, 2015.
- ↑ Saudi warplanes kill 8 people ( Memento from June 5, 2015 on WebCite ) (English). sabanews.net, May 31, 2015.
