Located in Ma’rib, in the central east of the country a 2½-hour drive from capital Sanaa, this grouping of seven sites founded as far back as the 13th century BCE by the Sabeans an ancient group of South Arabians, lasting up till the arrival of Islam in 630 CE, and believed to be the biblical land of Sheba. It includes the remains of large urban settlements with various buildings including monumental temples such as the Temple of Barran, pictured here. UNESCO says these sites "reflect the affluent Kingdom of Saba, arising from its control of the incense trade in South Arabia and its architectural, aesthetic, and technological achievements that bear witness to a highly complex society with a strong, well organised, and centralised administration."

This past January it was also placed on UNESCO's list of endangered sites due to the depredations of the civil war.


Ali Mohammed