Qarnāwu (
Old South Arabian: 𐩤𐩧𐩬𐩥, {{transliteration, xsa, ''qrnw'', reconstructed ''Qarnāwu'',
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
Κάρνα ''Kárna'') is the name of an ancient city situated in present day Jawf in the north of
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, near the modern city of
Ma'īn (Arabic معين).
Qarnāwu was presumably founded at the time the
Minaean Kingdom appeared in about 500 BCE; after the end of
Sabaean rule over Ma’in in about 400 BCE Qarnāwu became the capital of Ma'īn for a time. Qarnāwu was set on a mound, about 10 meters in height and had a rectangular layout each side of which measured about 350 × 240 meters; it was traversed by an absolutely straight main street, leading from the west to the east gate. The interior was carefully planned. At the end of the Minaean Kingdom in the 1st century BCE, Qarnāwu lost its importance, and was probably abandoned not long after.
See also
*
Minaeans
Ma'in (; ) was an ancient South Arabian kingdom in modern-day Yemen. It was located along the strip of desert called Ramlat al-Sab'atayn, Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. Wadd was the national ...
*
Minaean Language
The Minaean language (also Minaic, Madhabaic or Madhābic) was an Old South Arabian or Ṣayhadic language spoken in Yemen in the times of the Old South Arabian civilisation. The main area of its use may be located in the al-Jawf region of Nort ...
*
Ancient History of Yemen
The ancient history of Yemen or South Arabia is especially important because it is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable pop ...
Bibliography
*Ahmed Fakhry: ''An archaeological journey to Yemen''. Cairo 1951–52
*F. Bron: ''Inventaire des Inscriptions sudarabiques''. Tome 3. Maʿīn (fasc. A–B). Paris-Rome 1998.
Ancient cities of the Middle East
Ancient history of Yemen