MARIB, March 18 — A unique and well-preserved Sabaean temple was unearthed in a part of the ancient Sabaean town of Sirwah in the Marib province. The temple, whose existence was recently disclosed by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), was discovered during a restoration program carried out in the autumn of 2007.A team of 25 German and 100 Yemeni archaeologists worked together to find the temple and date it back to approximately the first millennium, B.C.The new temple has a monumental entrance decorated with pillars and contains a variety of rooms. The ground plan and the construction features of the temple are singular in Yemen; tower-like projections divide the exterior facade of the sanctuary and the building was constructed of both wood and stone.According to Dr. Iris Gerlach, the DAI director in Sana’a, the temple is still under excavation. The archaeologists theorized that it was one of the only exclusively religious-use temples in the Sabaean period. Further studies are still being conducted by German and Yemeni archaeological teams. “The new discovery will be included in the restoration of the ancient town that will be parallel to the ongoing excavations until its completion in 2009,” said Gerlach. “As the discovery is quite recent, we do not have specific details [about the temple], but it was certainly used for religious ceremonies.” Gerlach added that the Yemeni Social Fund will cover 50 percent of the excavation and restoration expenses, while the DAI will fund the remaining 50 percent. She mentioned that another recent archaeological find, Al-Maqah temple, is located in the same region. “Monumental ancient pillars of the huge Al-Maqah temple in Marib were re-erected by crane last week in Sirwah,” said Gerlach. “The pillars, which weigh up to 6 tons, were first analyzed by ultrasonic measurements to check for possible internal cracks,” said Gerlach. “The cracks were then fixed with steel dowels invisible on the outside, glued together and filled up with mortar. Seven other pillars were laid down by the crane to be restored in October this year.” According to researchers, Al-Maqah temple was dedicated to the most important goddess in the Sabean period. Four temples dedicated to the same goddess have been found in Marib. According to Gerlach, what sets Al-Maqah temple apart from the others is the celebrations and ritual meals that used to be held there for animal sacrifices to thank their god and demonstrate their happiness. The stones which were used for sacrificing the animals are still visible. The inscriptions on the temple’s walls depict the life of the Sabaean kings.“We will continue the excavations in order to find othe
r ancient places, as it is believed that in Marib there are still many more ancient historical places to be discovered,“ said Gerlach.The ancient town of Sirwah was located on overland incense trade routes, but was also connected to trade routes to southern Arabia, from the Yemeni highlands down to the old caravan kingdoms on the edge of the Ramlat Al-Sabatayn. Numerous cult installations provide evidence of intensive ritual procedures at the town’s sanctuaries, including altars, banquet areas for ritual meals, bone deposits of sacrificed animals and a treasure chamber for storing hundreds of votives. The focal point of the Al-Maqah temple was formed by two monumental stones featuring inscriptions from the time of two Sabaean rulers, Yithar’amar Watar bin Yakrubmalik (715 B.C.) and Karib `il Watar (685 B.C.). The over seven meter-long monolithic inscription stones report on both the warlike and the civil activities of these rulers.During the 1st millennium B.C., the most important center of the Sabaean kingdom was next to the ancient metropolis of Marib. The large Sabaean town was surrounded by a fortified wall, and included many monumental buildings, the most prominent being Al-Maqah Temple, which dates back to the 7th century B.C. and is currently undergoing restoration. Since 2001, the DAI and the General Organization of Antiquities and Museums have carried out excavations and restoration measures in Sirwah. For 30 years, Germany and Yemen have jointly conducted archaeological and restoration projects which have helped to preserve some of Yemen’s most valuable ancient sites.
(H. Thabed-yementimes)
