Al-Bayda governorate [Archives:2002/30/Last Page]

REVIEWED BY ISMAIL AL-GHABIRI
YEMENTIMES
Al-Bayda Governorate, in the course of history, has gained a certain importance during the period in which the kingdom of Sheba and Qataban flourished. Sheba kingdom flourished in the period of the 8th century B.C. until the collapse of the Marib Dam. The Kingdom of Qataban extending from Hadramout with its famous capital Shabwa reigned over large areas including Al-Bayda area. The mountainous agricultural land in the south-west of the Governorate, has expanded very slowly through out the history. Terracing of hills for agriculture started presumably with the Himyarite Kingdom from the first century A.D. onwards and extended after the decline of the eastern desert Kingdoms. The Al-Bayda Governorate is situated at the central highlands of Yemen towards the southwestern part of the country covering an area of approximately 11,170km. It is largely located on a high plateau, consisting of not very steep mountains, dissected by wadis and sometimes by wide plains.
In Al-Bayda Governorate the two main cities are Al-Bayda and Rada both connected by the tarmac road to the other parts of country. The elevation of the land surface varies from 1200m above sea level (lowest parts of some wadi beds) to approximately 3180m located at the western border of the province.

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