Sabaean Timeline

800 BCE – 570 CE · 3 sites

All sites in this period

Stone abutments and spillways of the ancient Great Dam of Marib, Yemen

Continent Record

Oldest Monument in Asia

Great Dam of Marib

800 BCE – 570 CE

The monumental earthen and stone dam that irrigated the oasis of Marib, capital of the Sabaean kingdom in ancient Yemen — one of the largest hydraulic works of the ancient Near East, sustaining intensive agriculture for more than a millennium before catastrophic breaches in late antiquity.

Iron AgeClassicalLate Antique

Standing pillars of the Temple of Awwam (Mahram Bilqis) near Marib, Yemen

New

Country Record

Known by the Most Names in Yemen

Temple of Awwam

700 BCE – 500 CE

The principal temple of Almaqah, the chief god of the Sabaean kingdom, set in an oval precinct east of ancient Marib — traditionally called Mahram Bilqis ("sanctuary of Bilqis") and one of the largest and most important religious complexes of pre-Islamic South Arabia.

Iron AgeClassicalLate Antique

Standing monoliths and ruins of the Almaqah temple at Sirwah, Yemen

New

Country Record

Oldest City in Yemen

Sirwah

800 BCE – 400 CE

An early Sabaean political and ritual centre west of Marib, enclosed by massive stone walls and dominated by the temple of Almaqah — inscriptions and fortifications make Sirwah one of the best-preserved early capitals of the incense kingdoms.

Iron AgeClassical