The Maʾrib Dam
سد مأرب
The great dam of the Sabaean kingdom whose construction began in the Mukarrib era; its repeated breaches, and final burst around 450 CE, are the Sayl al-Arim of Surat Saba in the sira’s account.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
The Ma'rib dam: Yemen's engineering marvel; its building began in the time of Saba''s Mukarribs, and its great breach around 450 CE is the flood of al-Arim.
The story
Building began on the dam known as the Ma'rib dam in the Mukarribs' time at their capital Sirwah; it has a great place in Yemen's history 1.
After Yemen's independence from the first Abyssinian occupation, breaches began to occur in it, until the great flood came — which the Qur'an mentions as the flood of al-Arim — in 450 or 451 CE, bringing ruin to the settled lands and scattering the peoples 1.
For young visitors
The Ma'rib dam is a mighty water-barrier in ancient Yemen; one day it broke, a great valley flooded, and many tribes scattered.
Connections
- Site of
- The Flood of al-Arim (the Bursting of Maʾrib Dam)
- Located in
- Maʾrib
People and things also explored
The Flood of al-Arim (the Bursting of Maʾrib Dam)MaʾribPre-Islamic Arabia
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
- Tafhim al-Quran — Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Maʾrib Dam”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/building/marib-dam/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.