Zafar, Yemen

Zafar ( altsüdarabisch ZfR, Greek: Tapharon, Sapphar Latin, Arabic ظفار, DMG Zafar ) was the capital of himjarischen tribal confederation (110 BC to 525 AD) with the royal castle Raydan in South Arabia before the Aksumite conquest (525).

History

Under their rule united for the first time Himyarites directly and indirectly almost all Arabia with an area of ​​approximately 2.5 million square kilometers. This is three-quarters the size of Western Europe. The site of the ancient capital city located between Aden and Sana'a. The ancient archaeological site located 2,800 meters in height about 14 kilometers southeast of the provincial town Yarīm in the Yemeni highlands, on the western edge of a rich agricultural level ( the Qa al - Haql ) and owed its original richness of this environment. There is a local museum with artifacts found on site. This archaeological site was found to be particularly significant source of relief sculpture. The present village has a population of only 400 people.

Seen archaeologically Zafars beginnings are obscure. The main source form [ musnad ] texts from the 1st century BC. In his Historia naturalis is Zafar from Pliny, and in the anonymous Periplus Maris Erythraei (both 1st century AD), and in the Geographia of Claudius Ptolemy (originally 2nd century ) described briefly. Presumably, in the Middle Ages, the coordinates of Ptolemy's map were changed incorrectly, with the result that thereafter the metropolis " Sapphar " appears too far to the east in what is now Oman.

Individual artifacts of early himjarischen period ( 110 BC to 270 AD ) have been gleaned from the earth's surface. Most excavated artifacts, however, appear to date to the Empire Period ( 270-525 ). An inscription written in Ge'ez came to light that comes after Aksum war.

The city is named for early Christian authors, such as at Philostorgius by which one learns that the Himyarites was offered in the fourth century a church .. texts about the Bischoff Gregentius are dubiös. Zafar was a center for pagans, Jews, and later Christians and plays an important role as an archaeological site for the Formativum monotheistic religions.

A large inscription occupies a palace which was around 457 AD. Ambassador with Ethiopian names are mentioned in epigraphic texts. Perhaps in the wake of a revolt, the city was destroyed around 539. Excavations tombs and temples were uncovered. There are also numerous reliefs with plant ornaments and plastic people.

1998 and 2011, led the archaeologist Paul Yule of the University of Heidelberg in excavations by Zafar. For the grounds research also methods of geoinformatics were utilized.

834423
de