Śafār, capital of Himyar, Fifth Preliminary Report, February-March 2005.

Abstract

In February–March 2005, the joint University of Heidelberg-Yemen team conducted a season of mapping at Zafãr. Major tasks included complementing the compilation of place-names of the different fields in the area. In this way, we obtain an instrument with which to identify fossil pre-Arabic place-names. Zafãr is not the largest archaeological site in the Yemen, but may well be the second largest one, after Mãrib. The large cliff of Zafãr/al-Dãhã turns out to owe its form to the great earthquake of 1982. The rectification of a Quickbird image documents in concrete fashion the soil erosion and other environmental changes in and around the ancient city. Vulture reliefs from the surrounding area show a new style, which appears to date to the 6th century, to judge from related images in Europe. Our recording is just keeping abreast of destruction mostly from building operations.

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