Great Temple of Yeha

Original catalogue wording is retained below, including records brought together as one work.

• Great Temple of Yeha

  The Great Temple of Yeha, a windowless tower of finely dressed ashlar standing to some 14 m — the oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, built for the Sabaean-influenced polity of Diʿamat.

• East wall, temple interior — p. c. 8

  East wall, temple interior

• The Gates of the Temple of the Moon, Yeha, Ethiopia

  This scene is shot from the interior of the Temple of the Moon, looking out through the entrance to the Temple. It is generally agreed the Temple of the Moon was built during the time of the Dʿmt Kingdom in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. The D'mt Kingdom preceded the Axumite Kingdom. When and how the transition from the D'mt Kingdom to the Axumite Kingdom occurred has not yet been determined. According to the Footprint East Africa Handbook 2002: The Travel Guide (7th Edition) by Michael Hodd, "[Yeha] is believed to have been the main Ethiopian capital during the pre-Axumatic period. . . . Yeha is famous for it amazing rectangular stone temple, the oldest known sacred site in Ethiopia . . . believed to date from 500 BC. According to the German scholar, Heinrich Muller, this temple was built even earlier - possibly 700 - 800 BC. "The temple base is 18.5 m x 15 m [60' x 49'] and 12 m [39'] h

• Interior, Temple of the Moon, Yeha, Ethiopia

  A Quick and Dirty Site Interpretation ===================================================== The sharp transition, plainly visible in this photo, from heavily eroded sandstone blocks to a wall in almost perfect condition is puzzling. I can only speculate on how this might have come to be, but speculate I will. It is possible the dividing line marks the depth to which the interior of the temple was filled with fallen debris during antiquity. The debris would have consisted of fragments from the collapsed roof and sections of walls that collapsed inward. Additional debris, soil, for example, would have been fallen on top of the structural debris during the centuries the Temple lay unexcavated. The debris would have covered the walls and protected them from erosion. Wind and rain would have damaged the exposed portions of the walls above the level of the debris fill. Another possibility is t

• Detail, Temple Wall, Yeha, Ethiopia.

  This is a portion of one of the upper walls in the Temple of the Moon in Yeha, Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia. At a glance, It can be difficult to tell the difference between original ancient construction and modern reconstructions using ancient building materials found at the site. I discovered this at Maya sites in the Yucatan near the Belizean border, and at the site of Tiwanaku in Bolivia, where ancient ruins have been extensively rebuilt, sometimes, arguably, at the expense of authenticity. I am fascinated by the patterns these building blocks make. I'd like to think each of them is standing where it was placed by a D'mt Kingdom stonemason over 2,500 years ago. Considering Yeha's remoteness, the scarcity of resources in that part of the world, and the organic way most of these blocks fit together (I'm not so sure about the top course), I'll go out on a limb and suggest what we're

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., 06,0

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., 06,0. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, 03

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, 03. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastra 01

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastra 01. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastricato 02

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastricato 02. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastricato 04 canalina di scolo

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, edificato tra l'VIII e il V secolo ac., interno, lastricato 04 canalina di scolo. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Yeha, rovine del tempio, stele

  Yeha, rovine del tempio, stele. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• Detail, Outer Wall, Temple Of The Moon, Yeha

  This close-up photo shows the amazing precision with which the ancient stonemasons crafted and laid the blocks in the Temple of the Moon's outer walls. Also remarkable is how well preserved the masonry is after 2,500 years. For additional information about the Temple of the Moon, please see the description provided with the first photo in this series.

• Great Temple of Yeha

  Yeha, exterior view of the Great Temple’s south wall, 1996.