Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba at Marib
Background
The Kingdom of Saba flourished in what is now Yemen from the 1st millennium BCE until the arrival of Islam around 630 CE.
UNESCO inscribed "Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib" in 2023 under cultural criteria (iii) and (iv).
It is a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites.
Ma'rib was the walled capital city of Saba, while the fortified city of Sirwah may have served as its military capital.
The Ma'rib dam fed an irrigation system of canals that supported the largest ancient man-made oasis.
The temples of Awām, Bar'ān and Ḥarūnum are among the inscribed landmarks.
Saba's wealth rested on the Incense Trade Route, broadly between the 8th century BCE and the 3rd century CE.
The property was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger from the time of its inscription.
In plain words
Serial property — A single World Heritage listing made up of several separate places treated as one site.
Oasis — A fertile, watered patch in the middle of a desert.
Incense — Aromatic tree resin such as frankincense, burned for its scent and traded over long distances in antiquity.