Great Dam of Ma'rib

other · 800 BC – 699 AD

The Great Dam of Ma'rib, which spanned the gorge of the Wâdî Dhana and fed a massive irrigation system dependent on the seasonal flooding (sayl) of the wadi, dates originally to the eighth century BCE and was connected with the Sabaean and Himyarite kingdoms around the ancient city of Ma'rib in modern Yemen. It is reported to have failed catastrophically in the 8th century CE, leading to the collapse of irrigation-dependent agriculture and a mass depopulation of the area.

Coordinates

15.40175, 45.26817

Dating

attested

Sources

• Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places · CC BY 3.0
  Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places (CC BY 3.0)

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