Ma'rib Travel Guide

 janiebaxter Says:  Set on a hill outside the present town, the old town of Marib is a crumbling wreck, but is worth a look. It is said to date from the first millennium BC. The old town of Marib was mostly destroyed in the civil war in the 1960’s. 

 janiebaxter Says:  Believed to have been built in 8000BC, this is supposed to be a more important temple than the Throne of Bilqis/Moon temple and was dedicated to the Sun god. It is desperately in need of excavation and restoration and it is surrounded by a wire fence which you cannot go... 

 janiebaxter Says:  The Throne of Bilquis (Sheba) is also known as the temple of the Moon as it was dedicated to the Moon God Almaqah.Thought to have been built around 2000 BC, this temple has five and a half pillars set high up on steps. There is a sacred wall with a row of seats along the... 

 janiebaxter Says:  The new Marib dam was built in the 1980’s with help from UAE and is actually smaller than the Old Dam originally was, which was built in the 8th century BC! 

 janiebaxter Says:  Marib Dam was built around the 8th century BC across Wadi Adhana to hold and divert the flood water which fell during the rainy season for use in agriculture. The old dam allowed the area to prosper from cultivation, as it was built at the bottom of the surrounding valleys... 

 hydronetta Says:  This temple, lying on a side road, was dedicated to the sun god (dating from 800 BC). Unfortunately the area is fenced, police escort is prerequisite, so you can only take some photos of the row of 8 high columns. There is an elderly guard (???) keeping the keys of the area... 

 Nansen Says:  In Marib surroundings tradition is mantained. In some places, you can visit these mills moved by camels, as it was done years ago. As the camel move , the stones mill grain in order to obtain flour or oil. 

 Nansen Says:  Marib is the starting point on the route across the desert to Seyyun and Hadramawt.It´s the last "civilized" area untill you reach Seyyun and Hadramawt´s vities. In your way, you may only find beduin camps sparsed in some dry "wadis".Before starting the route, you should... 

 Nansen Says:  The old Marib city was builded over the ruins of a Sabean fortress. It had a wall around the city with only three gates. The city was nearly razed during Civil war in the sixties, as it was allied to the old king of Yemen and suffered bombing. Now, you can visit the ruins of... 

 Nansen Says:  In 1980 was builded up a new dam thanks to a rich yemenian cheik. This cheik gave to the goverment 75 million dollar in order to build a new dam and water again the fertile valley.The new dam is 760 m long and 40m high, and it is like the old dam should be. 

 Nansen Says:  As lots of mud were placed by the river in the reservoir, Marib people had to rebuild the dam in order to rise the walls of the dam. So, although firstly the walls were 7m high, in 250 B.C. they were over 14m high, and finally, in the last times of Saba kingdom in VI century... 

 Nansen Says:  The old Marib dam is the biggest and most important construction that have survived from the ruin.It was builded in a gorge, between the mountains Jebel al Qibli and Jabel al Awsat, and was 680m. long. You can see the gorge in the next picture, at the end of the green... 

 Nansen Says:  It is commonly believed that queen of Saba who appears in the Bible and the Coran, as Salomon lover, was the famous queen Bilqis of Marib, who ruled the kingdom in 950 B.C.This queen was a wise and fair woman, and under her government Marib grew got wealthier and more... 

 Nansen Says:  You can visit different archeological sites of the ancient Marib at this moment. One of them, is the Mahram Bilqis.First excavations were in 1952, stopped during years because of the beduin people, who bcame more dangerous.Years later, excavations went on, but at this... 

 federico-s Says:  Being the only restaurant around made it pretty special. The young proprietors hustled the visitors.