Almaqah

Sabaean inscription addressed to the god Almaqah, mentioning five ancient Yemeni gods, two reigning sovereigns and two governors,7th century,BCE

Al-maqah or Il-muqah (Epigraphic South Arabian ; Ge'ez አለመቀሀ, ʾLMQH) was the main god of the ancient Yemeni kingdom of Saba' and the kingdoms of Dʿmt and Aksum in Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia. On Al-maqah being the sun god scholar Jacques Ryckmans states; "Almaqah is considered a moon god, but Garbini and Pirenne have shown that the bull's head and the vine motif associated with him may have solar and dionysiac attributes. He was therefore a sun god, the male counterpart of the sun goddess Šams, who was also venerated in Saba, but as a tutelary goddess of the royal dynasty."[1] The ruling dynasty of Saba' regarded themselves as his children. Almaqah is represented on monuments by a cluster of lightning bolts surrounding a curved, sickle-like weapon. Bulls were sacred to him.

See also

• Ancient history of Yemen