Yadhghat is a village in

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 Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

and the

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

one kilometre east-southeast of it. It lies on the eastern edge of the valley of the Wadi Jerbah in the Ḥaḍramawt about twelve kilometres north of the port of

Sharma Sharma is a Brahmin Hindu surname in India and Nepal. The Sanskrit stem ( nom. ) can mean 'joyfulness', 'comfort', 'happiness'. Sarma is an alternative English spelling of the name. Some Assamese Brahmins use Sarmah. According to Bhavishya P ...

, to which it was linked as a supplier of

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

. The archaeological site, discovered in 2002, consists of about a dozen buildings visible above ground. The remaining walls of the settlement are just two courses of dry stone. The largest preserved buildings have a layout of three rooms. There is what appears to be a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

with traces of a ''

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

'' at the south of the site. The site was once much larger, but has been destroyed by agriculture and erosion. Today the site is very arid. Yadhghat was the site of pottery production during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, between about 980 and 1150. Five heaps of refuse have been discovered. There is no trace of a built

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

, but evidence of firing ceramics in the open air. Pottery was handmade (not wheel-made) and unglazed

redware Redware as a single word is a term for at least two types of pottery of the last few centuries, in Europe and North America. Red ware as two words is a term used for pottery, mostly by archaeologists, found in a very wide range of places. Howeve ...

decorated with incisions and paint. The paint may have been sourced from red clay mined nearby, where a shaft was found. Pottery made at Yadhghat has been found at the site of Jerbah two kilometres northwest, at the seaports of

al-Shihr Al-Shihr ( ar, ٱلشِّحْر, al-Shiḥr), also known as ash-Shir or simply Shihr, is a coastal town in Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen. Al-Shihr is a walled town located on a sandy beach. There is an anchorage but no docks; boats are used. The main ...

and Sharma, at the "palace" of al-Ḥamr al-Sharqiya in

Dhofar The Dhofar Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ظُفَار, Muḥāfaẓat Ẓufār) is the largest of the 11 Governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah Gov ...

, in the

Wadi Masilah Al-Masilah is a village in eastern Yemen. It is located in the Hadhramaut Governorate. External linksTowns and villages in the Hadhramaut Governorate
{{coord, 15, 58, N, 49, 00, E, display=title, region:YE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Popul ...

and as far afield as Raʾs al-Ḥadd. Sharma was probably the port through which Yadhghat ware were exported. The end of the occupation of medieval Yadhghat is associated with the arrival of water kegs from the

Dakhla Oasis Dakhla Oasis (Egyptian Arabic: , , "''the inner oasis"''), is one of the seven oases of Egypt's Western Desert. Dakhla Oasis lies in the New Valley Governorate, 350 km (220 mi.) from the Nile and between the oases of Farafra and Khar ...

at Sharma and Jerbah. Sharma may have been conquered by

Egyptians Egyptians ( arz, المَصرِيُون, translit=al-Maṣriyyūn, ; arz, المَصرِيِين, translit=al-Maṣriyyīn, ; cop, ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian ...

who moved inland, forcing the abandonment of Yadhghat.

References

Sources

* * * Archaeological sites in Yemen 10th century in Yemen 11th century in Yemen 12th century in Yemen {{coord, 14, 55, 40, N, 50, 04, 07, E, region:YE, display=title