List of rulers of Saba and Himyar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of rulers of Saba and Himyar.

Mukarrib (Mukrab, Karab), a religious title that means "near to God", was used by rulers of Saba' until Karib'il Watar changed his title to Malik at the time of the kingdom of Saba' and Dhu Raydan that was established between Himyarites and Sabaeans, both descending from ancient South Arabian patriarch Qahtan.[1] The title Tubba, which means "the one who follows the sun like a shadow" was used by Himyarites to refer to their rulers.[2]

Mukaribs of Saba'[edit]

Mukarib Reigned Notes
1 Yatha' Amr Bayin I circa 1000–950 BC
2 Yada'il Bayin I
3 Samah'ali Yanuf I
4 Yatha' Amar Watar I
5 Yakrib Malek Dzarah
6 Yakrib Malek Watar I
7 Samah'ali Yanuf II
8 Yada'il Bayin II
9 Yatha' Amar Watar II Contemporary with Sargon II
10 Yada' Ab I
11 Yada'il Bayin III
12 Yakrib Malek Watar II
13 Yatha' Amar Bayin II
14 Karibil Watar I Contemporary with Sennacherib
15 Yada' Ab II
16 Akh Karab
17 Samah'ali Watar
18 Yada'il Dharih I Son of 17
19 Samah'ali Yanuf III Son of 18
20 Yatha' Amar Watar III Son of 18
21 Yada'il Bayin IV Son of 20
22 Yada'il Watar I Son of 20
23 Zamir Ali Zarih I Son of 21
24 Yatha' Amar Watar IV son of Samah'ali Yanuf son of 20
25 Karabil Bayin I Son of 24
26 Samah'ali Yanuf IV Son of 24
27 Zamir Ali Watar Son of 26
28 Samah'ali Yanuf V Son of 27
29 Yatha' Amar Bayin III Son of 28
30 Yakrib Malek Watar III
31 Zamir Ali Yanuf Son of 30

Kings of Saba'[edit]

King Reigned Notes
32 Karabil Watar II 620–600 BC Son of 31
33 Samah'ali Zarih 600–580 BC Son of 32
34 Karabil Watar III 580–570 BC Son of 33
35 Ilsharih I 570–560 BC Son of 33
36 Yada'il Bayin V 560–540 BC Son of 34
37 Yakrib Malek Watar IV 540–520 BC Son of 36
38 Yatha' Amar Bayin IV 520–500 BC Son of 37
39 Karabil Watar IV 500–480 BC Son of 38
40 Samah'ali Yanuf VI 480–460 BC Son of 39
41 Yada'il Bayin VI Son of 39
42 Yatha' Amar Watar V Son of 39
43 Ilsharih II 460–445 BC Son of 41
44 Zamir Ali Bayin I 445–430 BC Son of 41
45 Yada'il Watar II 430–410 BC Son of 44
46 Zamir Ali Bayin II 410–390 BC Son of 45
47 Samah'ali Yanuf VII Son of 46
48 Karabil Watar V 390–370 BC Possibly son of 46
Unknown 370–350 BC
49 Karab Yuhan'em 350–330 BC Son of Ham Athat
50 Karabil Watar VI 330–310 BC Son of 49
51 Wahab Shamsam/El Yahiz I 310–290 BC Son of Halik Amar or Saraw
52 Anmar Yuha'man I 290–270 BC Son of 51
53 Zamir Ali Zarih II 270–250 BC Son of 52
54 Nasha Karab Yuha'man 250–230 BC Son of 53
Unknown 230–200 BC
55 Nasir Yuhan'em 200–180 BC
56 Zamir Ali Bayin III
57 Wahab El Yahiz II 180–160 BC
58 Karabil Watar Yuhan'em I 160–145 BC Son of 57
59 Anmar Yuha'man II Son of 57
60 Yarim Aymin 145–115 BC Son of Awsalat Rafshan; usurped the throne with his son
61 Alhan Nahfan Son of 60
62 Far'am Yanhab 130–125 BC He managed to partially regain the legitimate throne

Kings of Saba' & Dhu Raydan[edit]

King Reigned Notes
63 Sha'ram Awtar Son of 61
64 Il Sharih Yahdhib Son of 62. He was probably Strabo's "Ilasarus". Contemporary with Sha'ram Awtar, see # 63
65 Yazil Bayin Son of 62. He allied with his brother see # 64 against Sha'ram Awtar see # 63
67 Hayu Athtar Yazi' Son of 63?
68 Karabil Watar Yuhan'em II Son of 56. Probably the Charibael of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, said to have dominion over the major ports of Azania (the Swahili coast) through a vassal in Saba
69 Watar Yuha'min Son of 64.
70 Zamir Ali Zarih III Son of 68
71 Nasha Karab Yuha'min Yuharhib Son of 64
72 Karabil Bayin II Son of 68
73 Yasir Yuhasdiq
74 Sa'd Shams ʽAsri' Son of 64
75 Murthid Yuhahmid Son of 74
76 Zamir Ali Yahbir I Son of 73
77 Tharin Ya'ib Yuhan'im Son of 76
78 Zamir Ali Yahbir II Son of 77
79 Shamdar Yuhan'im
80 Amdan Bayin Yuhaqbiz
81 Hutar Athat Yafish
82 Karab Athat Yuhaqbiz
83 Shahar Aymin
84 Rab Shams Namran
85 El Ez Nawfan Yuhasdiq
86 Sa'd Um Namran
87 Yasir Yuhan'em

Kings of Saba' & Dhu Raydan & Hadhramaut & Yamnat 2nd Himyarite Kingdom[edit]

King Reigned Notes
88 Shammar Yahr'ish AD  275–300 Son of 87
89 Yarim Yuharhib Son of 88
90 Yasir Yuhan'im III Son of 88
91 Tharin Ayfi' Son of 90
92 Dhara'amar Ayman I Son of 90
93 Karabil Watar Yuhan'em III
94 Tharin Yakrib Son of 88
95 Dhamar Ali Yuhabirr Son of 94
96 Tharan Yuhanim Son of 95
97 Malkikarib Yuhamin Son of 96
98 Dhara'amar Ayman II Son of 97

King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum (the high plateau) and Tihamat[edit]

This period of time is most famously featured in Arabian legends, with some of the kings on this list being revered as heroes or vilified as villains. This is also the last period of native Yemeni rule, and the first period of Aksumite rule over Yemen. During this period, Judaism became the state religion of Himyar.

King Reigned Notes
99 Malkikarib Yuhamin 375–400 Son of (98). He is the first king to officially convert to Judaism and remove previous polytheistic invocations from records and inscriptions. He also replaced the Great Temple of the pagan god Almaqah with a mikrāb for Jewish organization. Later tradition ascribes the conversion to Judaism to his son, Abu Karib.
100 Abu Karib As'ad 390–420 Son of (99). He is the first to become the official King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum (the high plateau) and Tihamat. Reputed to be the first king to officially convert to Judaism in Yemen and enforce it as a state religion. Arab traditions relate that he was the first to put a covering over the Kaaba.
101 Hassan Yuha'min 420–448 Son of (99). Known for destroying and eliminating the Jadis tribe.[3]
102 Sharhabil Yafar 428–457 Son of (99). Identified as 'Amr, the brother of Hassan (100) in Arab tradition.
103 'Abd-kalal Between 458 to 465 Identified as Dhu Ra'yn al-Himyari in Arab tradition. Not a descendant of the Tubba' royal family, but from a noble family who had ties to them.
104 Sharhabil Yaqaf 465–480 Son of (102). first king recorded to have executed Christian missionaries in his lands to avoid Byzantine influence. [4] Some sources name him as “Tubba' ibn al-Hassan” which implies he was not the son of (102) but rather the son of (101).
105 Mu'di Karab Yan'im Son of (104), ruled alongside his father and went on military campaigns together with him.
106 Marthad'ilan Yun'im 480–485 No information is known about him except for a single inscription labelled "YM 1200" in the corpus of South Arabian inscriptions.[5]
107 Marthad'ilan Yanuf 500–515
108 Lahi'ah Yanuf 490–517 Son of (104), although other historical sources state that he was an usurper to the throne.
109 Ma'dkarib Yafar 517–522 Only two archeological inscriptions exist, which prove his existence as a king.[6]
110 Dhu Nuwas 522–527 Assassinated (108) and became the ruler. Experienced a brief interruption by an Aksumite conquest which he later overpowered and forced out of Yemen. He was the last native Jewish-convert ruler of Himyar to have full power over his country. His origins are not clear, Arabian legends identity him as being son of (99) yet other Islamic narrations state him to be son of (102) or (104).
111 Sumyafa Ashwa 527–535 Appointed by Kaleb after the demise of (110) and the ultimate Aksumite conquest of Yemen. A convert to Christianity and the first Christian ruler of Himyar.
112 Abraha 535–unknown Usurper, he overthrew (111) and turned against Kaleb, but later reconciled with him. Known for his attempt to demolish the Kaaba in Arab tradition.
113 Masruq ibn Abraha unknown–558 Son of (111), he was killed in 558 AD by the Sassanian forces who arrived to assist the Yemenis regain control of their own country.
114 Ma'ad Yakrib ibn Abi Murrah 558–575/578 A native prince of the Du Yazan dynasty, he was reinstated as a vassal king by the Sassanians after (113) was killed. He was later murdered; stabbed to death by Ethiopian assailants. Some sources have stated that he was the son of (111) and the half-brother of (112). Commonly known by his legendary title, Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan.
115 Ma'di-Karib 575/578–unknown Became the next vassal king after his father (114) was assassinated. Assisted by Sassanid military general Wahrez, who was his governor.

References[edit]

  1. ^ محاسن, بلعيد (2015-01-01). الرقم سبعة (7) أثره في المعتقدات والآداب والفنون وغيرها (من روائع الإعجاز العددي) (in Arabic). Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah دار الكتب العلمية. ISBN 9782745179661.
  2. ^ Brannon M. Wheeler (2002). Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 166. ISBN 0-8264-4956-5.
  3. ^ The History of Al-Tabari: The Sasanids, the Lakhmids, and Yemen. SUNY Press. p. 184-186. ISBN 9780791443569.
  4. ^ "The Martyrdom of Azqir: A Precious Document Depicting Religious and Political Conditions in Fifth Century Himyarite Yemen | PDF | Religious Belief and Doctrine | Ancient Mediterranean Religions".
  5. ^ "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details".
  6. ^ "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details".