Baraqish

Baraqish was Yathill, a city of the Minaean kingdom that controlled part of the incense route north through Yemen, and its oval wall of dressed stone survives to a remarkable height with towers around the circuit, standing on a mound above the plain with the interior largely unexcavated beneath the rubble. Inscriptions in South Arabian script run along the courses. It is one of the most complete ancient walled circuits in Arabia.

Background

The town is also known as Barāgish or Aythel, and Greek and Roman writers called it Athlula, a name taken from the Sabaean Yathill. It stands on a high hill 120 miles east of Sanaa, in Wādī Farda, a caravan route used for its water. People lived here as early as the Bronze Age, each generation building on the ruins of the last, and the town reached its peak in about 400 BCE as capital of the Minaean Kingdom. Its wall stood 14 meters high, with 57 towers and two gates. One temple in typical Minaean style has 16 columns and beams. People lived in the town until the 1960s.

Source: Wikipedia, "Baraqish"

What's there

• The oval wall - dressed stone standing high with towers around the circuit.
• The South Arabian inscriptions - texts carved along the wall courses.
• The mound - the accumulated city rising above the surrounding plain.
• The Minaean history - a city of the kingdom that worked the incense route.

When to go

October to March is the cool season. Summer is extremely hot with no shade. Site access depends on conditions and should be checked.

Things to know

The site has suffered damage and access has been uncertain in recent years. The interior is unexcavated rubble. Access to mainland Yemen requires arrangements made well in advance.

Nearby

Marib is south, and Sana'a is southwest.

Key facts