Yemen: the mythical kingdom of Sheba delivered to vandalism and looting

Published on : 06/08/2021 – 18:51Modified : 06/08/2021 – 18:54

Collateral victims of the conflict between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government, several archaeological sites have been totally or partially destroyed. A study published in 2017, by an association of academics in France, already identified some fifty historic sites damaged in particular by the airstrikes of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, such as the capital Sanaa, whose old city is classified as a World Heritage Site of Unesco, the ancient remains of the city of Sirwah as well as several museums and ancient mosques.

The temple of Awwam, near the town of Marib, 120 kilometers east of Sana’a, was not affected by the fighting. But left unattended because of the conflict, it is left to looting and damage. Salah M. Ishmael, a young entrepreneur with a passion for archeology who lives in the Marib region, has launched a campaign on social networks asking young people in particular to clean and maintain it.

“Looters often carry out savage excavations”

The temple of Awwam, also called Maḥram Bilqis, dates back 3000 years. This temple is dedicated to the Almaqah, the moon god, who is the god of the ancient kingdom of Sheba. American researchers carried out excavations there as early as 1951. About 300 stelae bearing Sabaean inscriptions [ancienne langue du Yémen] were extracted and studied. These stones are of great importance, as they document conflicts, trade treaties, peace agreements, the external relations of the kingdom of Sheba with other kingdoms.

But today, there you are, many stelae, which date back 3,000 years, are just thrown on the ground, next to plastic bottles. People have smeared with pen on the beams, we find rubbish everywhere. It’s a disaster.

يفتقر معبد أوام لأبسط حماية مثل وجود لوحات إرشادية وكادر يشرف على إدارته. كما يفتقر المعبد لحاميات زجاجية على الألواح المسندية والجدران, ويفتقد إلى الحواجز التكمن تحول دون تعمرض.# انقذوا_معبد_اوام@Marib_gov pic.twitter.com/bc8q4RXNmY

– Salah M. Ishmael ? (@Salahish) June 2, 2021

_{Translation: The temple of Awwam lacks everything. No signage, no staff to manage it. There are no plexiglass sheets to protect, nor barriers to prevent people from touching objects ”.}

The site is not monitored, the stones are not protected for example by plexiglass plates, or barriers to prevent people from touching objects. Looters often carry out savage excavations there, as there are no guards or surveillance cameras.

_{Translation: “Part of the degradation suffered by the temple of Awwam (Maḥram Bilqis).[…] We carried out wild excavations in particular on this wall to extract bronze pieces from it. We probably thought they were gold coins. ” Photo credit: Abdullah al-Badaoui.}

So I launched a campaign via my Twitter account to invite especially young people, academics, association activists, to participate in awareness-raising and cleaning campaigns, and also to put pressure on the authorities, in particular the General Organization of Yemen Antiquities and Museums (GOAM), to take action.

يقف طفل بسن 12 عام تقريبا كحارس وبواب لمعبد عمره أكثر من 3 ألف عام. المعبد الأشهر والأقدم في اليمن والجزيرة العربية, أوام أو ما يطلق عليه “محرم بلقيس”.

صبي وبوابة وسياج متهالكان, كل ما يلوذ عن أهم المواقع التاريخية اليمنية.# انقذوا_معبد_اوام pic.twitter.com/EIa1Ufv5uo

– Salah M. Ishmael ? (@Salahish) June 2, 2021

_{Translation: “A 12-year-old child who improvises himself as guardian of a 3,000-year-old temple. The most famous and ancient temple in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula, Awwam. A damaged child, gate and fence is the fate of Yemen’s most important historical sites. ”}

انقذوا ما يمكن انقاذه من معبد أوام. إذا تهاونت السلطات المحلية والحكومة. فأين المبادرات الشبابية أين طلاب الجامعات تقدروا تعملوا توعية وحملة نظافة وتنسقوا مع مكتب الآثار لعمعات تقدروا تعملوا توعية وحملة نظافة وتنسقوا مع مكتب الآثار لعمكم نب يلدروا تعملوا توعية وحملة نظافة وتنسقوا مع مكتب الآثار لعمكم نب يلدروا تعملوا توعية وحملة نظافة وتنسقوا مع مكتب الآثار لعمكم نب الدروا # انقذوا_معبد_اوام pic.twitter.com/FjVTg3jUJc

– Salah M. Ishmael ? (@Salahish) June 3, 2021

_{Translation: Save what can be saved from the temple of Awwam. If local authorities and government are negligent, where are the citizens’ initiatives ? To students : you can organize an awareness and cleaning campaign[…]. ”}

I also recently created a group Facebook with friends to identify all the archaeological sites of Yemen, threatened, because there are sites which are in much worse condition than that of Awwam, without causing any concern.

There is for example the city of Yathûl, flagship city of the ancient kingdom of Ma’in, also built 3,000 years ago, whose walls were destroyed in a bombardment of the coalition.

The Observers editorial team tried to reach the General Organization of Antiquities and Museums of Yemen to find out if steps are being taken to protect the archaeological sites. We will publish their response if it reaches us.

The war that has raged in Yemen since 2014 pits Shiite Houthi rebels against the government of Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, recognized by the international community and supported by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. The war has left more than 233,000 dead and more than a million displaced.