HAZARMAVETH

(Ha·zar·maʹveth).

A descendant of Noah through Shem and Joktan. (Gen. 10:1, 21, 25, 26; 1 Chron. 1:20) It is generally believed that Hazarmaveth’s descendants settled the Hadhramaut region in S Arabia. A connection between Hadhramaut and Hazarmaveth is suggested by the similarity of the consonants in the original Hebrew and Arabic names. The geographical limits of the Hadhramaut are not closely defined. It is approximately 550 miles (c. 880 kilometers) long and 150 miles (c. 240 kilometers) wide. The coastal plain is rather narrow, and then the land rises steeply, forming a stony plateau with an average elevation of between 3,000 and 4,000 feet (c. 900 and 1,200 meters). 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 300 miles (c. 480 kilometers) inland from the W coast of the Arabian Peninsula and gradually curves eastward for about 400 miles (c. 640 kilometers), 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.