DASI

digital archive for the study of pre-islamic arabian inscriptions

Editor: Alessio Agostini; Jérémie Schiettecatte


Awwām Temple, plan
Catalogue 2000: 175

SITE INFORMATION

Ancient nameʾwm
CountryYemen
Geographical areaMaʾrib
GovernorateMaʾrib
KingdomSaba
Himyar
CoordinatesLatitude: 15° 24' 17.8"    Longitude: 45° 21' 21.4"    
Coordinates accuracycertain
Type of siteReligious area with a necropolis
TribeTribe: Bklm
Tribe: Ḏmry
Tribe: Fys²n
Tribe: Ġymn
Tribe: Hgrm
Tribe: Ḫwln
Tribe: Ḫwln Gddm
Tribe: Ḥs²dm
Tribe: Kdt
Tribe: Rydt
Tribe: S¹bʾ
Tribe: S¹bʾ Khln
Tribe: S¹mʿy
Tribe: S¹mhrm
Tribe: S²ddm
Tribe: Tnʿmm
Tribe: Yrs¹m
Deitiesʾlmqh(w)
ʾlmqh(w) bʿl ʾwm
ʾlmqh bʿl ʾwm w-Ḥrwnm
ʾlmqh bʿl Mtbʿm w-Rwẓn
ʾlmqh(w) bʿl S²wḥṭ
ʾlmqh ḏ-Gblm
ʾlmqh(w) Ṯhwn bʿl ʾwm
ʾlmqh(w) Ṯwn bʿl ʾwm
ʾlmqw
ʾlw Zʿln
ʿṯtr
ʿṯtr ʿzz(m)
ʿṯtr ʿzz ḏ-Gʾbm ḏ-Ṭrr
ʿṯtr bʿl Bḥr Ḥṭybm
ʿṯtr ḏ-Ḏbn
ʿṯtr S²rqn
ḏt-Bʿdn(m)
ḏt-Bls³m
ḏt-Ġḍrn
ḏt-Ḥmym
ḏt-Ḥmym ʿṯtr Ygr
ḏt-Ẓhrn
Hbs¹
Hwbs¹
Ḥgrm Qḥmm
Khl ḏ-Lbṣll
S¹ḥr
S¹mydʿ
S²ms¹ mlkn Tnf
S²ms¹-hmw bʿlt qyf Rs²m
S²ms¹-hmw bʿlt Ṣyḥyn
S²ms¹y-hmw bʿlty Nhd
Tʾlb Rymm
Tʾlb Rymm bʿl S²ṣrm
Ṯwr Bʿlm bʿl ʾwm
Wdm bʿl-S¹mʿn-w-S²ʿbm
Wll(m)
Ys¹rn
StructuresLarge temple
Pilgrimage temple
Graveyard
Paved road
Rock inscriptions
LanguageSabaic
General descriptionThis important sanctuary of the god Almaqah is located to the SE from the Old Town. It has been the focus of the AFSM in the Fifties and again in the last years. The most imposing feature of this temple is the large oval area (perimeter 300 m) which is encircled by a massive wall (originally 13 high) built with fine ashlar masonry and casemate technique. This oval should have been the real fulcrum of the temple. The main access was through a monumental entrance, formed by a 8-pillars propylon followed by a squared building (24 x 19 m). The latter has an internal courtyard framed by 32 monolithic pillars. The perimeter walls are covered by stone slabs showing the 'false windows' motive. This area was probably full of inscriptions and dedicated objects and statues. A canal and a bronze basin should have been connected with purification rites to be attended before the ceremonies. A secondary entrance opens at W into the oval wall and allows direct access to the open precinct.
Excavations have revealed many written texts, inscribed both on the external wall as well as in statue bases. The majority of them are concentrated in the second quarter of the 1st millennium BC, at the time of Sabaean apogee, but a second consistent group of inscriptions is however to be dated to the 4th century AD (western façade of the atrium) and within the 4th – 6th centuries AD (eastern façade). This indicates that this temple has been used throughout the pre-Islamic period and it have been regarded as the main South Arabian sanctuary, still being the pilgrimage destination (to be attended at the end of the summer) during the Himyaritic Empire.
[By A. Agostini]

MONUMENTS

Some monumental funerary structures have been unearthed by the German Mission in the southern area surrounding the Awwām Temple. The stone built structures define a sort of town of the death which has been estimated to host around 20.000 burials during the long period of its usage (spanning 1 millennium, and considering the reuse of chambers over time). The long time span in which the necropolis was used created a sort of settlement in which the several structures were divided by narrow passages and streets. The structures have been erected with a refined technique using ashlar limestone blocks and they are multi-storey (up to four, with one below the street level). The internal divisions used less refined tuff blocks and designed chambers of about 2 x 2.5 m. Access was through the upper storey and wood or stone movable stairs were in use. The external walls have been sometimes also decorated with dentil frieze as well as low relief figuration of the dead's face, but the most frequent representation of the dead were still the stone stelae along with the variant set into a big limestone pillar with un upper recess for the head insertion. Amongst the grave goods particular significance have the miniatures of vessels and objects, generally a close reproduction of the original ones (these kind of objects have been found also in the Qatabanian necropolis of Ḥayd ibn ʿAqīl). This funerary complex can thus be assigned to the Sabaean upper class and, like the near temple, was in use from the 7th century BC until the 4th century AD. One of these structures stands out for its monumentality, and has accordingly been interpreted as a Royal Mausoleum: it is in fact a squared building, with 5 central pillars and several burial niches around, some steps lead to the very refined access. [By A. Agostini]

  • photoThe necropolis excavated near the Awwām Temple
  • photoNecropolis near the Awwām temple. Internal Street.
  • photoFunerary stelae from the necropolis of Awwām.

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RELATED SITES

near Maʾrib (Mryb / Mrb)

RELATED MATERIAL

Epigraphs in CSAI
Objects in CSAI

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