H. M. BASURAH: Estimating a new date for the Wabar meteorite impact

Abstract

The Wabar meteorite craters were discovered in the desert of Al-Rub Al-Khali, Saudi Arabia by Philby (1933) who was the first to identify them as created in a meteorite impact. The age of these craters is still a subject of debate. The first approximate date was 1863, based on a reported meteorite fall at an unidentified site in the Al-Rub Al Khali. Recently conducted luminescence dating suggests an age of 289 46 years (Prescott et al. 2002). It is the aim of this article to present evidence contained in historical poems, which substantiates this dating. The texts quoted indicate that nearly 300 years ago, i.e., in 1704, a great fireball in the skies was seen from Tarim, Yemen, southwest of the Wabar site. This dating seems roughly to coincide with the results of recent scientific investigations.