Sadd al-Khanas Dam — Wadi Khanas Sabaean Retainer Dam
Wadi Khanas Dam · Khanas Sabaean Dam
Sabaean (900–500 BCE)·Sabaean·🇾🇪 Marib Governorate, Wadi Khanas tributary 18 km northeast of Marib Dam, Yemen
About
About Sadd al-Khanas Dam — Wadi Khanas Sabaean Retainer Dam
Sabaean retainer dam (9.5 m high, 220 m crest) on Wadi Khanas tributary 18 km northeast of Marib Dam (1,120 m), with 2.8 km rock-cut feeder canal to Marib north sluice extension. Earthfill embankment faced with hammer-dressed masonry, mortared with harad limestone. Reservoir 800,000 m3 silts 1980s sounding shows 4 m Sabaean silts + 2 m post-failure flood deposit. Brunet 2018 Yemeni dam corpus lists Khanas as Marib system type-B retainer (smaller than Wadi Dhana main). Breached c.650 CE same event as Marib main; south abutment preserves Sabaean inscription RES 26 fragment in situ. Canal still traceable on Corona 1967.
Why it mattersKey hydraulic illustrating Sabaean hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Marib Governorate, Wadi Khanas tributary 18 km northeast of Marib Dam.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Feeder canal gradient precision (0.4%)
Theories
- 01Khanas as Marib north extension component
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.800 BCE
- Period
- Sabaean (900–500 BCE)
- Culture
- Sabaean
- Purpose
- Tributary retainer dam feeding Marib oasis north canal extension
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.800 BCE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
15.4500° N · 45.5500° E · 1120 m · 4 mapped features
Khanas Dam Crest (220 m)
hydraulic220-m earthfill dam 9.5 m high with masonry facing
15.4510° N · 45.5510° EFeeder Canal to Marib North (2.8 km)
aqueduct2.8 km rock-cut feeder canal 3.5 m wide to north sluice
15.4480° N · 45.5480° ERES 26 Inscription Fragment
inscriptionSabaean RES 26 fragment in south abutment in situ
15.4520° N · 45.5520° EReservoir Silts (4 m Sabaean)
landscape4-m Sabaean silt exposure in reservoir sounding
15.4490° N · 45.5490° E