HAZARMAVETH

(Ha·zar·maʹveth) [Courtyard (Settlement) of Death].

A descendant of Noah through Shem and Joktan. (Ge 10:1, 21, 25, 26; 1Ch 1:20) It is generally believed that Hazarmaveth’s descendants settled the Hadhramaut region in southern Arabia. A connection between Hadhramaut and Hazarmaveth is suggested by the similarity of the consonants in the original Hebrew and Arabic names. The geographic limits of the Hadhramaut are not closely defined. It is approximately 880 km (550 mi) long and 240 km (150 mi) wide. The coastal plain is rather narrow, and then the land rises steeply, forming a stony plateau with an average elevation of between 900 and 1,200 m (3,000 and 4,000 ft). Many deep, cliff-lined torrent valleys cut through the high plateau. These valleys are very fertile. Palms and dates thrive; sheep, camels, asses, and cattle find pasture; and millet, alfalfa, indigo, cotton, and corn are among the crops grown there. Chief of the torrent valleys is the Wadi Hadhramaut. This stream begins its course some 480 km (300 mi) inland from the W coast of the Arabian Peninsula and gradually curves eastward for about 640 km (400 mi), finally emptying into the Arabian Sea as the Wadi Masila (the name applied to its lower course). The Hadhramaut region anciently played an important role because of its incense trade. But frankincense trees, once abundant, are now scarce there.