Ancient Irrigation, Sabwah, Yemen - George Steinmetz - Empty Quarter (sitios de interés)

Ancient Irrigation, Sabwah, Yemen

Two thousand year old patterns of irrigation are still well preserved at Shabwah, Yemen, a testament of how little rain falls near this abandoned city, once one of the most important centers in southern Arabia. At its peak it had several thousand hectares under cultivation via an elaborate irrigation system that controlled water from flash floods in distant mountains. It was also a major stopping point for caravans of camels carrying frankincense from Oman to the Mediterranean. Now the city is largely abandoned and the fields fallow.