'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎624] (721/905)

624
SABA.
[CHAP. XXIII-
Beiad-ei-J6f. The adjoining tract, called Belad»-el-J6f, extends from Nejran
on the north, to Jaffea on the south, and from the borders of
Yemen on the west, to El Ahkaf on the east; and besides
Nedjan and some inferior places, it contains two remarkable
cities; one of them, called Mareb, is on the site of the ancient
capital, 1 and in its vicinity was the territory called Ard-es-
Saba, the land of Sheba. 8
Mareb. Mareb is two days eastward of San'a, and so fertile is the
surrounding country, that corn is sown and reaped there three
times in the year. 3 The town is situated in a valley, on which
another, a day's journey in length, terminates. The latter is
enclosed by two ranges of hills which, at the eastern extre
mity, approach so nearly that the interval was closed arti
ficially, and the remains of the bund called Sitt-e-Mareb are
said to be still visible. This celebrated dike 4 appears to have
been a huge mass of masonry, such as we see at Oedipore and
other places in India, crossing at a great elevation from side
to side of a deep mountain valley. The valley at Mareb is
filled during the rains; and at other times the water retained
in it is fed by six or seven streams which meet there. 5 At
the time when the bund failed, the body of water discharged
was sufficient to produce what was called the inundation of
Aram. In the vicinity of this place are the ruins of two
castles, the one said to have been the work of Solomon, and
the other of his queen (Balkis).
city of Saba. The other city, called Saba, and supposed to be on the site
of Sabe Regia, 6 is seated upon a mountain, where the air is
considered to be so salubrious that the place is not exposed to
any kind of disease; it is also supposed to be free from ser
pents and vermin. Moreover, it is believed that idiots on
coming thither recover their reason; and many other advan-
equally marvellous are ascribed to the place. The
1 Arabic Geo. MS., translated by Dr. Aloys Sprenger.
2 Strabo, lib. XVI., p. 777; Diod. Sic., lib. III., c. xxiii.; and Royal
Geographical Journal, vol. VIII., p. 268.
3 Arabic Geo. MS. in the British Museum, translated by Dr. A. Sprenger.
4 Arabic MS., 7502, in the British Museum.
5 Compare Niehbuhr's Travels, vol. II., pp. 65, 66, with Edrisi, tome V.,
p. 149, ed. Jaubert. 6 Ptolemy, lib. VI., cap. 7.