Almaqah

AlmaqahorAlmuqh(Sabaean:𐩱𐩡𐩣𐩤𐩠;Arabic:المقه) was the Moon or Sun god of the ancient Yemeni kingdom ofSaba'.He was also worshipped inDʿmtandAksuminEthiopiaandEritrea.

Characteristics

Jacques Ryckmans states,

Almaqah is considered a moon god, but Garbini andPirennehave shown that the bull's head and the vinemotifassociated with him may have solar and dionysiac attributes. He was therefore a priest of Ra, the male counterpart of the sun goddessShamash/Ishtar/Isis,who was also venerated in Saba, but as a tutelary goddess of the royal Egyptian dynasty.^[1]^[2]^[3]

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 theBarran Templeand theAwwam templewere dedicated to Almaqah.^[4]

TheTemple of Meqaber Gaʿewanear theEthiopiancity ofWuqro,is dedicated to Almaqah^[5]and contains an altar which represents a miniature model of theGreat Temple in Yeha.^[6]

Altar at AlmaqahTemple of Meqaber GaʿewainWukro,Ethiopia

References

^Ryckmans, Jacques (1992). "South Arabia, Religion of". In Freedman, D.N. (ed.).The Anchor Bible Dictionary.Vol. 6. p. 172.
^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.
^For similar comments also seeRyckmans, Jacques (c. 1987). "The Old South Arabian Religion". In Daum, W. (ed.).Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in Arabia Felix.p. 107.
^"معبد برَّان.. هنا عاشت بلقيس سبأ".aljazeera(in Arabic). 24 March 2014.
^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.Retrieved30 June2023.
^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.Retrieved30 June2023.

External links

Media related toAlmaqahat Wikimedia Commons

[1] Ryckmans, Jacques (1992). "South Arabia, Religion of". In Freedman, D.N. (ed.).The Anchor Bible Dictionary.Vol. 6. p. 172.

[2] 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.

[3] For similar comments also seeRyckmans, Jacques (c. 1987). "The Old South Arabian Religion". In Daum, W. (ed.).Yemen: 3000 Years of Art and Civilization in Arabia Felix.p. 107.

[4] "معبد برَّان.. هنا عاشت بلقيس سبأ".aljazeera(in Arabic). 24 March 2014.

[5] 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.Retrieved30 June2023.

[6] 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.Retrieved30 June2023.

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Almaqah

Contents

Characteristics

Temples

See also

References

External links