Almaqah

^[1]

Sabaean inscription addressed to the god Almaqah, mentioning five ancient Yemeni gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors, 7th century BCE

Almaqah or Almuqh (Sabaean: 𐩱𐩡𐩣𐩤𐩠; Arabic: المقه) was national deity of the Sabaeans of the pre-Islamic Yemeni kingdom of Saba', representing the Moon or Sun god. He was also worshipped in Dʿmt and Aksum in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The main center for his worship was at the Awwam Temple, which remained in use until the fourth century AD.^[1]

Characteristics

Jacques Ryckmans states,

Almaqah is considered a moon god, but Garbini and Pirenne have shown that the bull's head and the vine motif associated with him may have solar and dionysiac attributes. He was therefore a priest of Ra, the male counterpart of the sun goddess Shamash / Ishtar / Isis, who was also venerated in Saba, but as a tutelary goddess of the royal Egyptian dynasty.^[2][3][4]

The ruling dynasty of Saba' regarded themselves as his seed.^{[citation needed]} Almaqah is represented on monuments by a cluster of lightning bolts surrounding a curved, sickle-like weapon. Bulls were sacred to him.

Temples

Both the Barran Temple and the Awwam temple were dedicated to Almaqah.^[5]

The Temple of Meqaber Gaʿewa near the Ethiopian city of Wuqro, is dedicated to Almaqah^[6] and contains an altar which represents a miniature model of the Great Temple in Yeha.^[7]

Altar at Almaqah Temple of Meqaber Gaʿewa in Wukro, Ethiopia

See also

• Ancient history of Yemen

References

1. Maraqten 2021, p. 109.
2. Ryckmans, Jacques (1992). "South Arabia, Religion of". In Freedman, D.N. (ed.). The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 6. p. 172.
3. Ryckmans, Jacques (1989). "Le Panthéon de l'Arabie du Sud préIslamique: Etat des problèmes et brève synthèse". Revue de l'Histoire des Religions. 206 (2): 163. doi:10.3406/rhr.1989.1830.
4. For similar comments also see Ryckmans, Jacques (c. 1987). "The Old South Arabian Religion". In Daum, W. (ed.). Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in Arabia Felix. p. 107.
5. "معبد برَّان.. هنا عاشت بلقيس سبأ". aljazeera (in Arabic). 24 March 2014.
6. Wolf, Pawel (July 25, 2009). "The Almaqah temple of Meqaber Gaʿewa near Wuqro (Tigray, Ethiopia)". Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. 40: 367–380. JSTOR 41224035. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
7. Nebes, Norbert (2017). "The Inscriptions of the Aksumite King Hafil and their Reference to Ethio-Sabaean Sources". Deutsches Archäologisches InstitutOrient-Abteilung Zeitschrift fürOrient-Archäologie. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2023.

Sources

• Maraqten, Mohammed (2021). "Historiography of Pre-Islamic Arabia: Arab Scholars and Their Contributions to the Writing of the History of Ancient Yemen". In Baadj, Amar (ed.). A Handbook of Modern Arabic Historical Scholarship on the Ancient and Medieval Periods. Brill. pp. 100–137.

External links

• Media related to Almaqah at Wikimedia Commons