Himyar

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Himyar, Yemen's ancient kings; they overcame the kingdom of Saba around 115 BCE and ruled Yemen until the Abyssinian and Persian occupations.

Himyar, one of Qahtan's two great tribes alongside Kahlan, its best-known clans Zayd al-Jumhur, Quda'a and the Sakasik. It overcame the kingdom of Saba around 115 BCE, becoming Yemen's kings until the Abyssinian and Persian occupations, and took Raydan — later called Zafar — for a capital in place of Ma'rib. Their decline began as their trade failed: Nabataean control of northern Hijaz, then Roman grip on the sea routes, then inter-tribal rivalry. Judaism entered Yemen through Tubban As'ad Abu Karib, and when his son Dhu Nuwas ruled he attacked the Christians of Najran — the Trench story of 523 CE. The Yemenis sought Persian help and won independence in 575 CE under Sayf Dhi Yazan the Himyarite, whom the Abyssinians he kept with him then assassinated, ending Dhu Yazan's house.

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Himyar, one of Qahtan's two great tribes alongside Kahlan, its best-known clans Zayd al-Jumhur, Quda'a and the Sakasik. In the period the author reckons from 115 BCE to 300 CE it overcame the kingdom of Saba, taking Raydan — later named Zafar, its ruins on Mount Mudawwar near Yarim — for a capital in place of Ma'rib. Decline set in as their trade largely failed: first Nabataean control of northern Hijaz, then Roman dominance of the sea trade routes after their hold on Egypt, Syria and northern Hijaz, then inter-tribal rivalry. The author sees a contest between Kahlan's and Himyar's clans driving Kahlan's departure, citing Himyar's remaining in Yemen; and in the unrest after 300 CE the Abyssinians exploited the Hamdan-Himyar rivalry to occupy Yemen first in 340 CE. Judaism entered Yemen through Tubban As'ad Abu Karib, who embraced it at Yathrib and brought two rabbis of Banu Qurayza; when his son Yusuf Dhu Nuwas ruled he attacked the Christians of Najran — the Trench story of 523 CE. After the second Abyssinian occupation the Yemenis sought Persian help and won independence in 575 CE under Ma'dikarib ibn Sayf Dhi Yazan the Himyarite, whom the Abyssinians he kept with him then assassinated, ending kingship in Dhu Yazan's house. The author warns the dating of these years differs widely across the historical sources, and that some writers count these details among the legends of the ancients.

Summary

Himyar is one of the two great tribes of Qahtan, alongside Kahlan. Its best-known branches are Zayd al-Jumhur, Qudaa and al-Sakasik ¹ ². It overcame the kingdom of Saba' around 115 BCE and became the kings of Yemen until the Abyssinian and Persian occupations ³.

Himyar's overcoming of Saba'

In the period the author dates from 115 BCE to 300 CE, the tribe of Himyar overcame the kingdom of Saba' and made the town of Raydan its capital instead of Ma'rib. Raydan was later named after Zafar, and its ruins lie on Mount Mudawwar near Yarim ³ ⁴. In this period their decline began, as their trade largely failed: first because the Nabataeans controlled the north of the Hijaz, then because the Romans dominated the sea trade routes after their influence over Egypt, Syria and the north of the Hijaz, and then because the tribes competed among themselves ³.

Himyar's survival and Kahlan's departure

The author holds that the rivalry between the clans of Kahlan and the clans of Himyar led to Kahlan's departure, and he cites Himyar's survival in Yemen as evidence ⁵. In the period of unrest after 300 CE, the Abyssinians exploited the rivalry between Hamdan and Himyar, and occupied Yemen for the first time in 340 CE ³.

The last kings of Himyar

Judaism entered Yemen through Tubba' As'ad Abu Karib, who went out to fight at Yathrib, embraced Judaism there, and brought two rabbis of Banu Qurayza back to Yemen ⁶ ⁷. When his son Yusuf Dhu Nuwas ruled Yemen after him, he attacked the Christians of Najran, and that led to the story of the Pit (al-Ukhdud) in 523 CE ³ ⁶. After the second Abyssinian occupation, the Yemenis sought help from the Persians and gained independence in 575 CE under the leadership of Ma'd Yakrib ibn Sayf Dhi Yazan al-Himyari. The Abyssinians he had kept with him then killed him, and with his death the kingship ended in the house of Dhi Yazan ⁸. Details are in the liberation of Yemen and Persian rule.

Not covered here

The author notes that the sources differ considerably over the dating of these events, and that some writers counted these details among the tales of the ancients ⁸. The academic history of the Himyarite state from inscriptions has not yet been added.

For young visitors

Himyar were the ancient kings of Yemen. They ruled after Saba', and among them was the king whom the tradition says burned the people of Najran.

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At a glance

Summary

Himyar's overcoming of Saba'

Himyar's survival and Kahlan's departure

The last kings of Himyar

Not covered here

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

The letter of the kings of Himyar