The Collapse of Marib Dam And The Fall of an Empire

 The ruins of a large dam near the ancient city of Marib in Yemen. Considered one of the greatest engineering wonders of the ancient world, the Great Dam of Marib spanned 580 meters and was easily one of the largest dams of its era. While it stood, the Great Dam transformed the desert into an oasis, allowing irrigation of more than a hundred square kilometers of sandy soil centered around Marib, which was the largest city in southern Arabia at the time. When the dam collapsed in the sixth century, it destroyed this ancient commercial empire. The collapse of the Great Dam and the destruction of Marib was such an important event in the history of the region that it even finds a place in the Quran.

The city of Marib was the center of power of the kingdom of Saba, known to the west as Sheba, which is said to have visited King Solomon in Jerusalem with the Queen of Sheba, a caravan of precious gifts of gold and spices. she came. , Although there is no evidence outside the Bible that a queen even existed, the lavish gifts she brought for the wise king are believed to have been commensurate with the wealth of the Sabean monarchy.

The Kingdom of Saba grew its wealth through trade along the Spice Route (also known as the Incense Route) between southern Arabia and the port of Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea. Marib was one of several stops on the route where traders stopped to rest and exchange goods. Marib traded two rare and expensive products highly valued in the ancient world – aromatic resins, frankincense and myrrh, which were cultivated from the sap of trees grown throughout the Arab world. Frankincense and myrrh were used in embalming by the ancient Egyptians, as medicine by the Chinese, and burned for their fragrance in temples and royal courts throughout the known world.

The trees that produce frankincense and myrrh are highly drought-resistant. Nevertheless, trees needed careful care like any other agricultural crop, and along with dates, they provided the broad base of the Sabaean economy.

To make agriculture possible in the desert, the Sabaeans built an extensive irrigation network consisting of wells and canals. At the center of this system was the Marib Dam. Made of mortar and stone, the dam spans a large ravine that cuts the Balak Hills through Wadi Adhana. According to modern estimates, the dam was 15 meters high and more than half a kilometer long. When it was first built between 1750 and 1700 BC, it probably had humble beginnings. It was only in the 7th century BC that the dam began to take on monumental size with large stones and mortar at the northern and southern ends of the dam connected by substantial stonework on both sides of the river. These stone bases are still standing today.

The dam was maintained for centuries by generations of Sabaeans and, later, by the kings of the Himyarite Empire who succeeded the Sabaeans. The Himyarites carried out further reconstruction, raising the height of the structure to 14 metres, and building spillways, sluices, a settlement pond and a kilometre-long canal for a distribution tank. These extensive works continued until the 4th century AD. However, by then, Marib had lost its market for frankincense and myrrh due to the growing faith of Christianity, which, during its early years, prohibited the use of frankincense due to its association with pagan worship. As trade declined, Marib began to lose its prosperity.

The great dam that fertilized the desert and enabled the region to flourish fell into disrepair. The sophisticated techniques of hydraulic engineering for which the Sabaeans were famous were gradually forgotten, and maintenance of the dam became increasingly difficult. As a result, from the mid-5th century onwards, the dam began to suffer regular breaches, until 570 AD when the dam was breached for the last time.

There is much debate as to what caused the dam breach. Some scholars say that there was heavy rain, while others believe that an earthquake destroyed the stonework. According to legend, this crack was caused by large rats gnawing it with their teeth and scratching it with their nails. Whereas according to the Quran, the fall was an act of God punishing the Sabaeans for their ingratitude. The holy scriptures say:

In his abode there was a sign for Saba: two gardens on the right and on the left. "Eat of the provisions of your Lord, and be grateful to Him. A good land, and a forgiving God. But they turned away, so We sent upon them a dam flood, and We filled their two gardens with gardens of bitter fruits. Replaced, tamarind and some rare lotus trees."

With the collapse of the dam, the irrigation system failed and the population – consisting of approximately 50,000 people – relocated to other areas of the Arabian Peninsula. Today, Ma'rib grows no more than a little wheat and, during the rainy season, some sorghum, sesame and a type of alfalfa are fed to the animals. The old town is largely in ruins, and although a modern town has sprung up nearby, it is but a shadow of its former form.