SABA, of Ezekiel xxvii. 22, an ancient town in the district of Balad-ul-Jahaf in Yemen, and the capital of the ancient Sabivans, and to this day the district is termed Ard- es - Shaba, or ' land of Sheba.' It im doubtless identical with the realm whence the queen of the East came to visit Solomon. Mareb, tho present capital of tho dis trict, is built on the site of the ancient Saba. It contains about three hundred small houses and several ruins, which are attribnted to Queen Balkecs. A dyke or dam of masonry, famous in Arab history, was drawn across the valley, between two hills called Balak, six hundred paces asunder. (See Sail-el-Arim or Sedd Mareb.) Ifaram Bal kees, the palace of the queen of Sheba, is west of the town of Mareb. About one-fourth of the wall is still standing, and covered with Himyaritic inscriptions. The ancient residence of the queen of Sheba, who formed tho city, is about a inile and a half in diameter. At the time of tbe Peri plus of the Erythrman Sea, the Sal:Keens monopol ized the commerce of India, and acted as inter mediate agents between tho merchants of India and Eg)pt. In the reign of Ptolemy Phileter (A.D. 177), the Greek sovereigns in Egypt had not traded directly to India, but imported their Indian commodities through Saba, the capital of Arabia Felix. The port of Berenice was not used
for that commerce, but Myos Hermes or AISCDOC was still the emporium, and tho only trade down the coast of Africa was for elephants' teeth. The trade to the east had been monopolized by the merchants of Sabtea, from the patriarchal days of Job. The period at which the kingdom of Saba or Himyar flourished was the golden age of Arabic poetry. The religion of the Ilimyarites, in their devotion, was directed to a multitude of deities, of which the principal were represented by the sun, moon, and planets. Saba, surnamed Ileber, was the father of Kalitan (Joqtan), father of Yoorab, father of Yahsab, father of Abd-us Shams. Abul Fada ascribes the construction of tho 3fareb-dam to Abd-us-Shams, but other his torians ascribe it to Loqman, king of that remnant of the Adites who renounced idolatry on the preaching of the prophet Hud, and who are usually styled the second Adites. S.aba was also a. name applied to Abd-us-Shams, founder of 3fariaba. Amongst his sons were Himyar, Arnim, Kahtan, and Ashaar.—Plail. Aden ; Early Chris.