Editor: Jérémie Schiettecatte
| Ancient name | Ktlm |
| Country | Yemen |
| Geographical area | wādī Raghwān |
| Governorate | Mārib |
| Kingdom | Sabaʾ |
| Coordinates | Latitude: 15° 48' 37" Longitude: 45° 06' 33" |
| Coordinates accuracy | certain |
| Type of site | Settlement |
| Tribe | Tribe: S¹bʾ Lineage: ʿs²rm Lineage: Ḥlḥln Lineage: Qdrn |
| Deities | ʾlmqh ʿṯtr ḏt-Bʿdn ḏt-Ḥmym S¹mʿ |
| Structures | Dwelling (indeterminate) Dwelling (concentrated) Light hydraulic structure (ex. canal, well) Wells, cisterns Plot of cultivated land Rampart Small temple Rock inscriptions |
| Language | Sabaic |
| Location and toponomy | Location The site of Kharibat Saʿūd is about 100 km north-east of Ṣanʿāʾ, 49 km north-west of Maʾrib, and 40 km south-east of Barāqish, on the left bank of the lower course of wādī Raghwān. Toponymy Ancient name: Ktl H. St J. Philby (1939: 404) saw in the ancient toponym Ktl the current site of ad-Durayb, located a few kilometres south of Kharibat Saʿūd, because of the mention of this toponym in two inscriptions re-used in situ. H. von Wissmann was the first to associate the ancient place name Ktl with the modern site of Kharibat Saʿūd (Von Wissmann 1964: 217-219). |
| History of research | Discovery 1870: J. Halévy (1872: 47, 94): copy of 11 inscriptions. Visits and surveys 1880’s: E. Glaser did not manage to visit the site but he had some prints of inscriptions made. 1936: H. St J. Philby (1939: 403-409): description and copy of inscriptions. 1947: A. Fakhry (1952: 140-141): description. 1970: A. Grjaznevic and P. Costa: copies of inscriptions. 1976 and 1980’s: MAFRAY: copy of inscriptions (Robin & Ryckmans 1980) and map of the site (Breton 1994). |
| General description | The fortified site of Kharibat Saʿūd forms a rectangle 195 m long and 160 m large, plus an extension on the south-eastern side. Inside, many hillocks witness the presence of dwelling structures with a stone base surmounted by a superstructure in mudbricks. Two circulation axes link the main gates of the site. The rampart was built in rough stone and interspersed with bastions distributed at regular intervals. It presents at least two gates. The inscriptions found on the rampart allow the construction to be dated to the time of the Sabaean mukarrib Krbʾl Wtr bn Ḏmrʿly in the early 7th cent. BC. H. St J. Philby mentions the presence of a small rectangular structure in ruins, mainly composed of fragments of white limestone columns and of large squared bricks of limestone. This building was considered to be a temple (Philby 1939: 407-408; Doe 1983: 158-159). Two temples are known from the texts of the 7th century BC: - the temple of ḏt-Ḥmym (CIH 494, 496). - the temple of ʾlmqh (YM 18351). Other deities are associated with Ktl (Kharibat Saʿūd) but it is not possible to say whether a temple was consecrated to them in situ or not, especially to ʾlmqh Ḥywm (YM 18350), ʾlmqh Nymn (YM 18351), ʾlmqh Ṣbḥhmw and S¹mʿ ḏ-ʾlm (YM 18352). This site was surrounded by a cultivated area, irrigated by channels and wells. According to the inscriptions, the cultivation was coordinated by the ruler of the community of Ktl, placed under the authority of the Sabaean mukarrib. |
| Chronology | The site of Kharibat Saʿūd existed for a short time span. The inscriptions mention the construction of the rampart and of a sanctuary at the end of the 8th century and throughout the 7th century BC. No inscription exists after this period. The surface pottery show the characteristic shape of objects from the first half of the 1st Millennium BC: carinated bowls with red burnished slips (Type 1511 at Hajar Ibn Ḥumayd - Van Beek (éd.) 1969, fig. 94). Similar vases come from Yalā (Maigret (éd.) 1988, fig. 18). This may be considered as a foundation of the Sabaeans, given the structural regularity of the rampart, and its location (halfway between the core of the Sabaean kingdom and its northern border). |
| south of ad-Dābir (Unknown) |
| Epigraphs
in CSAI Objects in CSAI |