Markha

Markha is a wadi in the dry interior of southern Yemen, between the highlands and the desert. Its valleys preserve traces of early farming and irrigation, along with settlements from the ancient kingdoms of South Arabia. The kingdom of Awsan was centred in Wadi Markha, while neighbouring Bayhan formed the heartland of Qataban. Hills and seasonal watercourses give this country its varied landscape, with cultivated land concentrated where floodwater can reach the valley floor.