Bayḥān

Bayhan is a valley of eastern Yemen opening toward the desert. It was the heartland of ancient Qataban, whose capital Timna stood above the wadi and watched the routes of incense caravans. Farther south, Dhat Ghaylam became another royal centre. Canals and dams directed floodwater onto fields, while fortified settlements stood beside the route between the highlands and the desert. The remains of these cities and irrigation works recall a kingdom that prospered long before the Islamic period.