Shaqab al-Manaṣṣa
Editor: Jérémie Schiettecatte
Aerial view of the region.
Gnoli 1993: pl. 1
By kind permission of Missione Archeologica Italiana nella Repubblica dello Yemen (©MAIRY)
Gnoli 1993: pl. 1
By kind permission of Missione Archeologica Italiana nella Repubblica dello Yemen (©MAIRY)
- Aerial view of the region.
Gnoli 1993: pl. 1
By kind permission of Missione Archeologica Italiana nella Repubblica dello Yemen (©MAIRY) - Two towers on the Wādī
Gnoli 1993: pl. 4/b
By kind permission of Missione Archeologica Italiana nella Repubblica dello Yemen (©MAIRY)
SITE INFORMATION
| Ancient name | Yhrq (?) |
| Country | Yemen |
| Geographical area | Southern Jawf |
| Governorate | Maʾrib |
| Kingdom | Sabaʾ |
| Coordinates | Latitude: 16° 00' 9.5" Longitude: 44° 47' 32.6" |
| Coordinates accuracy | assumed |
| Type of site | Religious area |
| Tribe | Tribe: Mʿn w-Yṯl Tribe: S¹bʾ Lineage: ḏ-ʿs¹dn Lineage: ḏ-Hbrr Lineage: ḏ-S²gʾ Lineage: ḏ-S²yd Lineage: ḏ-Ẓyrn Clan: Gbʾn |
| Deities | ʾlʾlt Mʿnm ʾlʾlt S¹bʾ ʾlʾlt ʾs²ʿbm ḏ-ʾlm Nkrḥm ʿṯtr ḏ-Ḏbn ʿṯtr ḏ-Qbḍm ʿṯtr ḏ-Yhrq ʿṯtr ʾl Yhrq ʿṯtr S²rqn ʿṯtr S²rqn w ḏ-Yhrq Wd Wdm |
| Structures | Light hydraulic structure (ex. canal, well) Large hydraulic structure (ex. dam) Rock inscriptions |
| Language | Sabaic, Minaic |
| Location and toponomy | The sanctuary of Shaqab al-Manaṣṣa is located c. 2.5 km SSW of Barāqish, on a sandstone outcrop bordering the ancient irrigated area, immediately to the north of the bed of Wādī al-Khawr. The ancient name Yhrq was inferred on epigraphic material (Gnoli 1993: 15-16): indeed, in Shaqab 2 and RES 4176 the name Yhrq seems to indicate a toponym rather than the god's epithet. |
| History of research | Survey 1976-78: French Archaeological Mission in the Yemen Arab Rep. (MAFRAY) 1986-92 & 2005-06: Italian Archaeological Mission in the Yemen Arab Rep. (MAIRY) |
| General description | This sanctuary, composed of two large hypostyle rooms, was consecrated to the cult of ʿṯtr ḏ-Yhrq. It may have been the main sanctuary of the tribe of Yathill. The small hill is 40 m long and 15 m high compared to the surrounding area. Two monuments have been identified above it, close to each other, both rectangular in shape. The emerging structures, for the most part covered by debris and collapsed materials, allow a reconstruction of the original layout to a very limited extent. Monument 1 is larger and seems to be more ancient compared to Monument 2, to which the former is connected at its SW side to the northern corner of the latter. Inside Monument 1 some pillars are still visible, they were positioned irregularly and in some cases joined together by walls, delimiting small rooms. The irregular slabs which are positioned above them are the remains of different layers of the ancient covering. Monument 2 is nearly quadrangular (its sides measuring from 8.6 to 9.6 m ca.). The construction technique seems to be more refined with its high quality limestone ashlar masonry. Originally, inside the structure four inscribed pillars were standing, but now only three remain. The fourth was identified by Halévy amongst the ruins of Barāqish (Shaqab 19). It is very likely that these two buildings, even if realised in different epochs, are part of the same cultic complex. |
| Chronology | The foundation of this sanctuary dates back to the 8th century BC on the basis of architectural comparisons, and according to the palaeography of inscriptions. The latest inscriptions found on site probably date to mid-3rd century BC (Gnoli 1993, p. 30-32). |
MONUMENTS
| [By A. Agostini] The small hill is 40 m in length and high 15 m in respect to the surrounding area. Two monuments have been identified above it, close to each other, both rectangular in shape. The emerging structures, for the most part covered by debris and collapsed materials, allow a reconstruction of the original layout only at a very limited extent. The Monument 1 is larger and seems to be more ancient in respect to the Monument 2, to which the former is connected at its SW side to the northern corner of the latter. Inside Monument 1 some pillars are still visible, they were positioned irregularly and in some cases joined together by walls, thus delimiting small rooms. The irregular slabs which are positioned above them are the remains of different layers of the ancient covering. Monument 2 is nearly quadrangular (its sides measuring from 8.6 to 9.6 m ca.). The construction technique seems to be more refined with its high quality limestone ashlar masonry. Inside the structure were originally standing four inscribed pillars, but now only three remain, while the fourth was identified by Halévy amongst the ruins of Barāqish (Shaqab 19). It is very likely that these two building, even if realized in different epochs, are part of the same cultic complex. |
Temple ruins.
Temple roof.
Temple plan.
Main building plan.
| [By A. Agostini] The area surrounding this site shows traces of an intense and long agricultural activity. Along wādī Majzir, hydraulic structures and traces of ancient canalisations are often found. Two barrages have been identified at 300 and 500 m at the west of the site, they were colleting waters to be used in the cultivations in the large surrounding fields. |
Hydraulic structures.
MAP
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RELATED MATERIAL
| Epigraphs
in CSAI Objects in CSAI |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Breton 1998 a | Breton, Jean-François 1998. Les Temples de Maʿīn et du Jawf (Yemen): état de la question. Syria, 75: 61-80. |
| Cleuziou, Inizan and Marcolongo 1992 | Cleuziou, Serge, Inizan, Marie-Louise and Marcolongo, Bruno 1992. Le peuplement pré- et protohistorique du système fluviatile fossile du Jawf-Hadramawt au Yémen (d'après l'interprétation d'images satellite, de photographies aériennes et de prospections). Paléorient, 18/2: 5-29. |
| Darles 2001: 45 | Darles, Christian 2001. Les temples et leurs dieux. Dossiers d'Archéologie, 263/Mai: 44-47. |
| Gnoli 1993 | Gnoli, Gherardo 1993. Shaqab al-Manaṣṣa. Con diciotto tavole fuori testo. Inventaire des inscriptions sudarabiques. 2. Paris: de Boccard / Rome: Herder. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres; Istituto italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente] |
| Jung 1988 | Jung, Michael 1988. The religious monuments of ancient Southern Arabia. A preliminary typological classification. Annali dell'Istituto Orientale di Napoli, 48: 177-218. |
| Robin 1976 a | Robin, Christian J. 1976. Résultats épigraphiques et archéologiques de deux brefs séjours en République Arabe du Yémen. Semitica, 26: 167-188. |
| Robin 1979 a: 193-201 | Robin, Christian J. 1979. Mission archéologique et épigraphique française au Yémen du Nord en automne 1978. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres: 174-202. |
| Robin 1995 a | Robin, Christian J. 1995. Des villes dans le Jawf du Yémen ?. Semitica, 43-44: 141-161. |
| Robin, Breton and Audouin 1979: 425-427 | Robin, Christian J., Breton, Jean-François and Audouin, Rémy 1979. Prospection archéologique et épigraphique de la Mission archéologique française au Yémen du Nord. Syria, 56: 417-427. |