Barāqish or Barāgish or Aythel ( ar, براقش) is a town in north-western
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and s ...
, 120 miles to the east of
Sanaa
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gove ...
in
al Jawf Governorate
Al Jawf ( ar, الجوف ') is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Al Hazm.
Al Jawf Governorate borders 'Amran Governorate to the west, Sanaa Governorate to the southwest, Ma'rib Governorate to the south, Hadhramaut Governorate to the ea ...
on a high hill. It is located in
Wādī Farda(h), a popular caravan route because of the presence of water. It was known to the Greeks and Romans as Athlula (or Athrula), from the ancient
Sabaean (probably vocalized ''Yathill'').
Barāqish was inhabited as early as the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pr ...
, one generation building their houses on the ruins of the earlier ones. In the main area of the site, there still remain the ruins of a dome, a mosque, a well and tower, as well as many pottery shards and pieces of glass. People lived in the town up to the 1960s, but it has since been abandoned, and is at present occupied by the military.
History and Archaeology
History
Its origins are very archaic, possibly 1000 BCE, but it reached its peak of importance in about 400 BCE when it became the capital of the
Minaean Kingdom.
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
finds indicate the area was inhabited from at least the 10th century BC.
The city itself was dominated by
Saba in the 6th century BC. and is mentioned in a document of
Yitha'amar Bayyin II, mentioning a rebellion in the city.
The
Minaean kingdom eventually established itself in the 5th century BC, and the city is cited in a document dated to 343 BC. However, the Minean kingdom was recaptured by the Saba kingdom in the 2nd century BC.
The city was the capitol of the Minaean kingdom until they shifted their capital to
Qarnāwu at some time. However, and Yathill remained a sort of religious center for them.
Under the Minean kingdom it was an important stop on the incense route. The ancient city of Yathill was surrounded by a wall 14 meters high, much of which is still visible today; this wall had 57 towers and two gates. Inscriptions mention that the wall was rebuilt by the
Sabaeans
The Sabaeans or Sabeans ( Sabaean:, ; ar, ٱلسَّبَئِيُّوْن, ''as-Sabaʾiyyūn''; he, סְבָאִים, Səḇāʾīm) were an ancient group of South Arabians. They spoke the Sabaean language, one of the Old South Arabian langua ...
in 450 BCE.
The city was retaken by the Saba in the 2nd century BC.
The city was taken by the
Romans under
Aelius Gallus
Gaius Aelius Gallus was a Roman prefect of Egypt from 26 to 24 BC. He is primarily known for a disastrous expedition he undertook to Arabia Felix (modern day Yemen) under orders of Augustus.
Life
Aelius Gallus was the 2nd ''praefect'' of Roman E ...
,
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
's general. They left quickly, however, due to disease and poor water. According to
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
and
Cassius Dio
Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
, Gallus was under orders from Augustus to quell tribes to the north. The tomb of a Roman cavalryman, P. Cornelius, has been found there.
The city was taken by
Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Saud ...
in 242.
Archaeology
The ruins of a temple in the southern part of the city are considered by archaeologist to have been dedicated to the god
Athtar
Aṯtar ( ar, عثتر; Musnad: 𐩲𐩻𐩩𐩧) is an ancient Semitic deity whose role, name, and even gender varied by cultures of West Asia. Depicted as either male or female, the deity was identified with the planet Venus. In pre-Islamic ...
. There is a
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
near this temple, which contains numerous grave stelae. The temple is very typical of the Minaean style and consists of 16 columns and beams. There are also a number of ancient inscriptions in the South Arabian alphabet through the city.
There is another temple in the center of the city but only four of its columns are still erect.
The city is mentioned in a number of
Minaean language
The Minaean language (also Minaic, Madhabaic or Madhābic) was an Old South Arabian or Ṣayhadic language spoken in Yemen in the times of the Old South Arabian civilisation. The main area of its use may be located in the al-Jawf region of North ...
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
stelae across
southern Arabia
South Arabia () is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jizan, Al-Bahah, and 'Asi ...
.
A team of
Italian archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...
s recently discovered a temple with its roof intact. Inside they found a number of stone tables or altars with bulls' heads at each end; it is, however, believed to have been a sanctuary to a god of healing. The Italian Archaeologist excavated the site in from 1989 to 1990 and 2003 to 2007.
In 2015, the city was reported as being badly destroyed when the
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
n
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...
supported by the
US and
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, bombed the site of Baraqish, as it was being used by
Houthi forces.
[Satellite-Based Damage Assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites 2015 Summary Report of Iraq, Nepal, Syria & Yemen June 2016.]
References
External links
World66
{{Authority control
Archaeological sites in Yemen
Populated places in Al Jawf Governorate
Architecture of ancient Yemen