New archaeological discovery reveals more about Himyarite Kingdom

Yemen Times Staff

DHAMAR, Oct. 21 — The head manger of the General Authority in Dhamar, Ali Thif Alah, said that archaeological excavation, carried out by American and British researchers, led to an important discovery and significant results by surveying sites in Dhamar.

“The result of archaeological excavation conducted by Anglo-American Aalaherih mission of the American University of Arkansas will be announced during the coming days." He noted

Abdul Rahman Jar Allah, who is the deputy in the General Assembly of Museum and Antiquities said “ such discovery will reveal and explain important aspects of the Yemeni history in different ages.

He continued "The mission, which included a filed survey of many locations such as “Manufaured Mare’ is also came out with a detailed plan for a number of selected sites in the region of Al-Age and the Iron Age, as well we have a strategy to cut passages in the agricultural valley Gathers and channel tracking from inside the valley.”

This discovery was a result of a project called "Oriental Institute Project for the Archaeology of Yemeni Terraced Agriculture" (OIPAYTA). In 1999, special efforts were made to re-examine sites that had been visited in order to improve record of those sites and their environment. Second, a major endeavor was made to record as many South Arabian inscriptions as possible.

McGuire and Tony J. Wilkinson who are a member of the archaeological surveys in Dhamar, published the survey result at the project’s website. Giving more details of archaeology discovery in many locutions such as Hammat Al-Qa, and Hawagir

These sites indicate to millennium BC, or perhaps the beginning of the first millennium AD, during the Himyarite Kingdom, according to McGuire and Tony J. Wilkinson.

The Himyarite Kingdom is thought to have been accompanied by a significant shift in population from the desert fringe to the north and east to the mountainous heartland of present day Yemen. “This ongoing project seeks to investigate the emergence of the Himyarite kingdom by recording the key factors that would have enabled the kingdom to develop terraced agriculture. Selected areas of terraces are being mapped using air photographs.” Said Jar Allah.

(Original Document)