Almaqah

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Almaqah or Almuqh (Template:Langx; Template:Langx) 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.Template:Sfn

Characteristics

File:Panel Almaqah Louvre DAO18.jpg

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

Jacques Ryckmans states, Template:Quote The ruling dynasty of Saba' regarded themselves as his seed. Almaqah is represented on monuments by a cluster of lightning bolts surrounding a curved, sickle-like weapon. Bulls were sacred to him.

Temples

Marib, the capital of the Kingdom of Saba, had three important temples dedicated to Almaqah: the Temple of Awwam and the Barran Temple in the southern oasis, and the Harwanum Temple in the north. The Awwam Temple was the main oracular seat for Almaqah, and this was the case as early as the 7th century BC, although most inscriptions discovered at the site (amounting to several hundred) are from the first three Christian centuries. At inscriptions known from the Awwam Temple, Almaqah is given the epithet "Ṯahwān, Lord of Awām". The Awwam Temple was also an important site of pilgrimage across South Arabia during the month of ḏū-Abhī. Beyond Marib, another important temple for Almaqah is the oval temple of Sirwah, another important urban city from the Sabaean kingdom. Here, "Lord of the ibexes". Additional sites of devotion are known from the Yemeni highlands, including an important one from the Alāw mountain, the center of the worship of several tribes and perhaps a secondary branch of the main Awwam Temple.Template:Sfn

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

File:Almaqah Temple Libation Altar West side.jpg

Altar at Almaqah Temple of Meqaber Gaʿewa in Wukro, Ethiopia

See also

• Ancient history of Yemen

External links

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