Ancient Arabia consists of lands to the west and south of Mesopotamia. Saba, with its capital at Marib was the oldest and most important of the South Arabian kingdoms, which also included Qataban, Ma’in, Hadramawt and Himyar. These were kingdoms of traders, and it was trade in incense and myrrh which provided these kingdoms with prosperity. Do you know what incense and myrrh are?
Incense is a gum resin, derived from a tree, which gives off a fragrant smoke when burned. In the ancient world, it was a vital substance, and one that was essential for religious ceremonies of the times. Myrrh played an essential role in embalming, and was also added to lime to impart a high gloss to walls. The kingdoms of Ancient Arabia were the principal producers and importers of both substances.
These kingdoms did not have such a glorious tradition of architecture, sculpture or craftsmanship as Egypt and Sumeria had, but they were masters of building with mud bricks. The buildings include great houses, four, five and even eight stories high, and one sultan’s palace with an estimated 1,000 rooms!
Another important achievement in these kingdoms was irrigation. There were great irrigation works that employed obstructions to divert waters horn the rivers. The systems channelled the water into otherwise arid areas by means of an elaborate system of main and subsidiary canals, spillways and sluices, constructed on mud banks raised above the level of fields.
These Ancient Arabians may not have been masters of a golden empire, or creators of great temples, but they were prolific writers. In all the regions they inhabited, they left tens of thousands of alphabetic inscriptions. Some were merely names, while others were important historical documents that give us glimpses into life in these kingdoms.
