Ancient name | Unknown |
Country | Yemen |
Geographical area | Markha |
Governorate | Shabwa |
Kingdom | Awsan |
Coordinates | Latitude: 14° 28' 28" Longitude: 46° 15' 21.6" |
Coordinates accuracy | certain |
Type of site | Settlement |
Structures | Dwelling (indeterminate) Dwelling (concentrated) Plot of cultivated land Rampart Light hydraulic structure (ex. canal, well) |
Location and toponomy | The site of al-Janâdila is in the region of Wuṣr, 25 km west of the city of Niṣâb, at the confluence of the wâdîs al-Ḥijr and al-Janâdila, on the right bank of the course of the wâdî. The site occupies the south corner of a small basin filled by ancient alluvium. |
History of research | 1980: J. Pirenne: visit and description of the sites of the wâdî Janâdila 1987: French mission in RDPY (dir. Breton): survey of the fortifications of al-Janâdila |
General description | This tell is c. 12 metres high; it forms an oval with a maximum length of 210 m, 158 m wide, and with a perimeter of about 540 m. Overall, about 30 stone buildings are still visible on the surface. The site is fortified. In the western part, the fortified system is an ensemble of juxtaposed house basements, each being 10 m large. On the other hand, the ramparts include casemates linked with curtains. The casemates do not form a continuous line, some are made to reinforce a wall, others can be found between two parallel walls. They measure 6 x 6 m or 7 x 3 m. The site is surrounded by silt accumulation, either being modern cultivated fields, or the rest of ancient fields. Almost 3 km upstream, J. Pirenne (1980: 218) identified a large boulder covered by ancient South Arabian inscriptions. J. Pirenne signalled the presence of myrrh trees covering the surrounding mountains. |
Chronology | No data |