ANCIENT CITY OF MARIB

Located on the edge of the desert, was the focal point of the caravans that came from the Hadramawt and the port of Qana. It is the political capital of the Saba Kingdom and its religious centre. The contemporary city covers a 25-metre height, consisting of the ruins of successive cities.

The fortifications and Palais Palace of the «moukarrib» dynasties, that is, «backbone sovereigns», were first mentioned in the 4 500 th century B.C. The last speaker had a circumference of m and was pierced by five doors. Inside the city was the dynastic palace and several temples. According to Burkhard Vogt, who heads the German Archaeological Mission, the city could have contained, at its peak, between 30 000 and 50 000 people. The current dwellings are in very bad condition, having suffered intense Egyptian bombing during the civil war (1962-1970). The city, which still had 800 inhabitants in 1950, is now practically abandoned.