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Archaeological Exploration of the Mahra Region
Juris Zarins and George Hedges
The Archaeology Fund
Building on earlier work in Oman, in 1996 the
Archaeology Fund (an AIYS institutional member) extended its
explorations along the ancient frankincense routes into Yemen,
into the virtually unexplored Mahra region of what was
formerly South Yemen. It covered nearly 2000
miles of territory and reported over 65 major sites, including
two fortresses nearly identical to the Ubar site earlier
discovered in Oman; two port sites showing evidence of ancient
trade with China and Southeast Asia; a mysterious ring site
that appears to have some celestial orientation; and numbers
triliths (route markes of the ancient frankincense traders).
A second survey campaign was conducted in the spring of 1998. Once the area reconnaissance has been completed, the project plans to excavate at selected sites. For its research in the Mahra area the Fund brings together a team of archaeologists, space imaging scientists/geologists, botanists and paleo-botanists, anthropologists, linguists, and others to conduct a multi-disciplinary analysis of the region and its ancient cultures.
Project direction: Lead project organizer: George R.
Hedges (The Archaeology Fund); Chief archaeologist: Juris
Zarins (Southwest Missouri State University); Chief space
imagining scientist/geologist: Ronald Blum
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