YARIM

town, southwestern Yemen. It lies in the heart of the Yemen Highlands, on an upland plateau dominated by the massif of nearby Mount Sumarah, which rises to about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level. In antiquity the Yarim area was the core of the state of Himyar, which ruled over much of southern Arabia from about 115 BC to about AD 575; the Himyarite capital of Zafar (q.v.) was about 9 miles (15 km) south of Yarim. The town is now a way station on the all-weather highway from San'a' to the city of Ta'izz, in the south; it is also a local trade centre for the farmers and shepherds of the surrounding highland area. The ruins of ancient Zafar, off the highway in rugged, mountainous terrain, are still visible. Pop. (1977 est.) 8,038.