DASI

digital archive for the study of pre-islamic arabian inscriptions

Editor: Jérémie Schiettecatte


SITE INFORMATION

Ancient nameunknown
CountryYemen
Geographical areaRayda
GovernorateʿAmrān
KingdomSabaʾ
CoordinatesLatitude: 15° 59' 5"    Longitude: 43° 58' 47"    
Coordinates accuracycertain
Type of siteModern site with reemployed inscriptions or artefacts
StructuresRock inscriptions
LanguageSabaic
Location and toponomyAl-Maḥâfiẓ is a village that extends on the slopes of an escarpment, 19 km north of Rayda and 2.7 km east of Khamir.
History of research1972: visit of the French archaeological mission in Yemen (MAFY), copy of two inscriptions
1975: visit by Ch. Robin, copy of a new inscription (Robin-al-Maḥâfiẓ 1+2)
General descriptionTwo inscriptions were reused (Robin-al-Maḥâfiẓ 1+2); the second fragment was reused in the facing of a cistern.
ChronologyThe palaeography of inscription Robin-al-Maḥâfiẓ 1+2 is of type D (Avanzini) and may date to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD.

MAP

Your browser doesn't support Google Maps or Javascript is turned off.

RELATED MATERIAL

Epigraphs in CSAI
Objects in CSAI

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robin 1976 a: 184Robin, Christian J. 1976. Résultats épigraphiques et archéologiques de deux brefs séjours en République Arabe du Yémen. Semitica, 26: 167-188.
Robin 1982 a: vol. 2, 19-21Robin, Christian J. 1982. Les hautes-terres du Nord-Yémen avant l'Islam. (2 vols), (Uitgaven van het Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul, 50). Istanbul: Nederlands Historisch-Archaelogisch Instituut te Istanbul.