Sana'a - Saba: The General Authority for Antiquities and Museums recently issued the seventh issue of the Yemeni Antiquities Annals "Azal", which deals with the practical activities of the Authority.
The issue included reports on the tasks carried out by the Authority, which were distributed between studies, visits to archaeological sites and landmarks, inventory and photography of archaeological pieces, and training courses.
The issue included a report on the results of the field visit of the Authority's team assigned to conduct an archaeological study of Na'it in Kharif in the Hashid lands, especially the city/village mentioned in the Musnad inscriptions and the writings of Al-Hamdani (the owner of Al-Iklil), in addition to important results carried out by a team from the Authority to uncover the site of Al-Kadra in Al-Maraw'ah in Tihama. The finds at the site, which is being excavated, indicate a richness in antiquities.
It also included a report on rock drawings and graffiti from a site completed in Wadi Dahr, northwest of Sana'a, which contains drawings of animals (ibex, horses, etc.) and these drawings are no different from the drawings found in the north and west of Sana'a.
It included a report on what a team from the Authority achieved over the months in inventorying, describing and photographing hundreds of artifacts in three different places in the Museum of the Department of Antiquities at Sana'a University, in the Noah Foundation, and in the possession of citizen Muhammad Lutf Al-Dhamari, both places in Sana'a, and among those pieces is an incense burner carved in the shape of a temple.
The report said: This piece enabled us to identify the external design of one of the temples in ancient Yemen. The temple has an entrance of four columns topped by three crouching ibexes with long, backward-curved horns. On both sides of the temple are four human heads with closed eyes on each side, and below them are two ibex heads, each with two long horns. The top of the temple (the incense burner) is surrounded by a line in Musnad script talking about a man named Il Aws bin Subh who presented (this incense burner) to the god Athtar Nakrah.
The report indicated that the source of this wonderful archaeological piece is from Al-Jawf, where the temples of (N K R H) are widespread, and it is most likely from the ancient city of Ma'in (Qarnaw). It contains many details that are not appropriate here and deserve an extensive archaeological study.
The issue included a report on the rehabilitation of the well from which water was drawn in the famous Al-Jund Mosque in Taiz. It was cleaned and various archaeological pieces were found in it.
It also included a report on the Al-Halqa Market Square in Old Sana'a, the square that took its name from the gathering of people around Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and his family and grant them peace, when he came calling the people of Yemen to Islam, and they responded willingly. "The state had decided to rehabilitate the square to be a historical witness to that great event dear to the Yemenis, so it prepared the study and began with some introductions, but it is still on paper," according to the report.
The issue included a report on the Jaidan Mosque in the ancient Ghayman, southeast of Sana'a, "and what remains of the monuments of the ancient Ghayman Fort clearly indicates a site rich in antiquities, and it goes without saying that we should mention what Al-Hamdani said about it, and even what the Musnad inscriptions mentioned about Ghayman, its chieftains and its people."
The issue included a report on a visit by a team from the Authority to inspect some of the archaeological landmarks in Tihama (Zubaid Castle, the Finance House in the city of Hodeidah, and Al-Duhi Castle north of the city of Hodeidah) after they were damaged by the rains and floods that God blessed us with in the summer season.
It also included a report on the Zabid Castle Museum, and among its contents were parts of clay pipes that were used to connect a water spring coming from outside the city of Zabid from a distance of 23 km to inside the Zabid Castle and to some palaces and to the Al-Fazah Mosque. "The openings of these pipes (their diameters) differ. The one that was close to the spring had a large opening (17 cm) and then narrowed a little bit until its opening reached a similarity to the opening of the water pipes used now in modern homes. These small pipes are made of copper and covered with clay and protected with yoghurt. These pipes reflect the industrial prosperity and luxury of living that the city of Zabid has achieved."
The issue included a valuable report on the inventory and documentation of archaeological architectural landmarks in the Mabin District of Hajjah Governorate.
It also included a report on a course held for the Authority's employees in Sana'a and other branches in the governorates on the basics of archaeological surveying, and another held for some of the Authority's employees on three-dimensional documentation using computers.
The issue concluded with a list of the reports that the Authority responded to, sending its employees to various Yemeni governorates to inspect archaeological sites and landmarks.
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