Marib
Yemen · 1150 m
Description
Marib was the capital of the Sabaean kingdom and one of the great cities of the ancient world, grown rich on the incense route that carried frankincense and myrrh north to the Mediterranean. Its dam, built around the eighth century before Christ, irrigated a plain the size of a small country for more than a thousand years until it finally broke, an event recorded in the Quran. The sluice works still stand. The temples of Awwam and Bar'an, both dedicated to the moon god Almaqah, lie in the sand nearby. The sites lie apart from each other across the plain and need a vehicle.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Great Dam of Marib and its sluices
- Awwam temple of the moon god Almaqah
- Bar'an temple and its five pillars
- Old Marib mud-brick town on its mound
- Sabaean inscriptions in the stonework
- Desert edge and the Ramlat al-Sab'atayn sands
- Incense route history
- New dam and the irrigated plain