Sabaeans

The Sabaeans were an ancient South Arabian people who inhabited the southern Arabian Peninsula, centered in the region of Saba’ (often equated with Sheba) in what is now Yemen. The political core was the Kingdom of Saba’, whose heartland lay near Ma’rib, where a sophisticated hydraulic system and a prominent dam supported irrigation, agriculture, and urban growth. Through successive centuries, the Sabaeans developed a centralized state structure and a prominent role in regional trade networks.

Language and script are key aspects of Sabaean identity. They spoke Sabaean, a South Semitic language, and wrote in the Sabaean script, one of the oldest South Arabian writing systems. Inscriptions in Sabaean appear on monuments, stelae, and religious dedications and helped establish the linguistic and historical record of the region. The Sabaean alphabet influenced later South Arabian scripts and, more distantly, the Ge’ez script used in Ethiopia.

Economy and culture revolved around incense production and long-distance trade. The Sabaeans exported frankincense and myrrh, linking Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes with inland markets. Urban centers, temples, and royal monuments reflect a society organized around religious authority, hydraulic engineering, and commerce.

History and legacy extend from at least the early first millennium BCE to the early centuries CE. The Sabaean state gradually declined as power shifted to the Himyarite Kingdom, with territorial absorption occurring by the late antique period. The Sabaean language and script persisted in inscriptions for centuries, leaving a lasting imprint on South Arabian culture. The monumental dam at Ma’rib remains a notable symbol of their engineering achievement.