Hot Contents: Kingdom of Himyar

The Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar (in Arabic مملكة حِمْيَر mamlakat ħimyâr) (r. 110 BC–520s), historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BC, it took as its capital the modern day city of Sana'a after the ancient city of Zafar. The Kingdom conquered neighbouring Saba (Sheba) in c.25 BC, Qataban in c.200 CE, and Hadramaut c.300 CE. Its political fortunes relative to Saba changed frequently until it finally conquered the Sabaean Kingdom around 280 CE.

History

The Himyarite Kingdom was the dominant polity in Arabia until 525 AD. Its economy was based on agriculture, and foreign trade centered on the export of frankincense and myrrh. For many years, the kingdom was also the major intermediary linking East Africa and the Mediterranean world. This trade largely consisted of exporting ivory from Africa to be sold in the Roman Empire. Ships from Himyar regularly traveled the East African coast, and the state also exerted a large amount of Influence both cultural religious and political to the trading cities of East Africa whilst the cities of East Africa remained independent. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea describes the trading empire of Himyar and its ruler Charibael (Karab Il Watar Yuhan'em II), who is said to have been on friendly terms with Rome:

From 115 B.C. until 300 A.D.

From 300 AD until the advent of Islam in Yemen

This period witnessed a lot of disorder and turmoil. The great many foreign and civil wars cost the people of Yemen their independence. During this era, the Aksumites invaded Tihama & Najran for the first time in 340 AD, making use of the constant intra-tribal conflict of Hamdan and Himyar. The Aksumite occupation of Tihama and Najran lasted until 378 AD, whereafter Yemen expelled the Aksumites. After the Ma'rib Dam last Great Flood (450 or 451 AD) weakened Himyar further and led to its collapse.

In the fifth century, several kings of Himyar are known to have converted to Judaism. The political context was the position of Arabia between the competing empires of Christian Byzantium and Zoroastrian Persia. Neutrality, and good trade relations with both empires, was essential to the prosperity of the Arabian trade routes. Scholars speculate that the choice of Judaism may have been an attempt at maintaining neutrality.

Language

The Himyarite language (Semitic, but not Sayhadic) was spoken in the south-western Arabian peninsula until the 10th century.

Kings of Saba' and Himyar

	Mukribs of Saba'
1	Yatha' Amar Bayin I
2	Yada' Il Bayin I
3	Samah Ali Yanuf I
4	Yatha' Amar Watar I
5	Yakrib Malek Zarih
6	Yakrib Malek Watar I
7	Samah Ali Yanuf II
8	Yada' Il Bayin II
9	Yatha' Amar Watar II
10	Yada' Ab I
11	Yada' Il Bayin III
12	Yakrib Malek Watar II
13	Yatha' Amar Bayin II
14	Karab Il Watar I
15	Yada' Ab II
16	Akh Karab
17	Samah Ali Watar
18	Yada' Il Zarih 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	Karab Il 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'
32	Karab Il Watar II son of 31
33	Samah Ali Zarih son of 32
34	Karab Il Watar III son of 33
35	Il Sharih I son of 33
36	Yada' Il Bayin V son of 34
37	Yakrib Malek Watar IV son of 36
38	Yatha' Amar Bayin IV son of 37
39	Karab Il Watar IV son of 38
40	Yada' Il Bayin VI son of 39
41	Samah Ali Yanuf VI son of 39
42	Yatha' Amar Watar V son of 39
43	Il Sharih II son of 41
44	Zamir Ali Bayin I son of 41
45	Yada' Il Watar II son of 44
46	Zamir Ali Bayin II son of 45
47	Samah Ali Yanuf VII son of 46
48	Karab Il Watar V son of 46?
49	Karab Yuhan'em son of Ham Athat
50	Karab Il Watar VI son of 49
51	Wahab Shamsam son of Halik Amar
52	Wahab Il Yahiz I son of Saraw
53	Anmar Yuha'man I son of 52
54	Zamir Ali Zarih II son of 53
55	Nasha Karab Yuha'man son of 54
56	Wahab Il Yahiz II
57	Zamir Ali Bayin III
58	Anmar Yuha'man II son of 56
59	Yasir Yuhan'em I
60	Shamir Yuhar'esh I son of 59
61	Yarim Aymin son of Awsalat Rafshan
62	Karab Il Watar Yuhan'em I son of 56
63	Alhan Nahfan son of 61
64	Far'am Yanhab
	Kings of Saba' & Ziridan
65	Sha'ram Awtar son of 63
66	Il Sharih Yahzib son of 64
67	Yazil Bayin son of 64
68	Hayu Athtar Yazi' son of 65?
69	Karab Il Watar Yuhan'em II son of 57
70	Watar Yuha'min son of 66
71	Zamir Ali Zarih III son of 69
72	Nasha Karab Yuha'min Yuharhib son of 66
73	Karab Il Bayin II son of 71
74	Yasir Yuhasdiq
75	Sa'd Shams Asri' son of 66
76	Murthid Yuhahmid son of 75
77	Zamir Ali Yahbir I son of 74
78	Tharin Ya'ib Yuhan'im son of 77
79	Zamir Ali Yahbir II son of 78
80	Shamdar Yuhan'im
81	Amdan Bayin Yuhaqbiz
82	Hutar Athat Yafish
83	Karab Athat Yuhaqbiz
84	Shahar Aymin
85	Rab Shams Namran
86	Il Ez Nawfan Yuhasdiq
87	Sa'd Um Namran
88	Yasir Yuhan'em II
	Kings of Saba' & Ziridan & Hazarmut & Yamnit
89	Shamir Yuhar'esh II son of 88
90	Yarim Yuharhib son of 89
91	Yasir Yuhan'im III son of 89
92	Tharin Ayfi' son of 91
93	Zari' Amar Aymin I son of 91
94	Karab Il Watar Yuhan'em III
95	Tharin Yakrib son of 89
96	Zamir Ali Yahbir III son of 95
97	Tharin Yuhan'im son of 96
98	Malki Karab Yuha'min son of 97
99	Zari' Amar Aymin II son of 98
100	Ab Karab As'id son of 98
101	Hasan Yuha'min son of 100
102	Sharhib Il Ya'fir son of 100
103	Sharhib Il Yakif
104	Mu'di Karab Yan'im son of 103
105	Luhay'ath Yanuf son of 103
106	Nawfim son of 103
107	Murthid Alan Yanuf
108	Mu'di Karab Ya'fir
109	Yusif Asar

References

Bibliography

External links

Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Himyarite_Kingdom&oldid=460497597

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2012/01/06

Kingdom of Himyar

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