Tubba_(title)
This is a list of rulers of Saba' and Himyar, ancient Arab kingdoms which are now part of present-day Yemen. The kingdom of Saba' became part of the Himyarite Kingdom in the late 3rd century CE.[1]
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
The title Mukarrib (Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩫𐩧𐩨, romanized: mkrb, also: Mukrab) was used by the rulers of Saba' until Karib'il Watar changed the ruling title to Malik in the 7th century BCE.[2] In the later centuries, the rulers of Himyar were given the title Tubba' (Arabic: تُبَّع) which meant "one who follows the sun like a shadow"[3] as well as the usual Malik title.[4] After the fall of Dhu Nuwas around 530 CE to the Aksumite Empire,[5] Yemen was open for foreign domination by the Aksumites and later the Sasanian Empire, both of whom installed local vassal rulers over the Yemeni people.[6][7][8]
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 |
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 |
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 | Dhamar Ali Yahbur | 135–175 | Son of 73. His statue made by the Greek Phocas sculptors is well preserved and on display at the National Museum of Yemen.[9] |
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
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 Yahbur II | 321–324 | Son of 94 |
96 | Tharan Yuhanim | 324–375 | Son of 95 |
King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum (the high plateau) and Tihamat
This period of time is most famously featured in Arabian legends. This is also the last period of native Yemeni rule.
King | Reigned | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
97 | Malkikarib Yuhamin | 375–400 | Son of (96). 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. |
98 | Abu Karib As'ad | 390–440 | Son of (97). Judaism was made the state religion during his rule. Some Arab traditions relate that he was the first ruler to put a covering over the Kaaba during his attempted invasion of Mecca. |
99 | Hassan Yuha'min | 440–450 | Son of (98). He shared kingship with his brother Sharhabil Yafar for a while.[10] |
100 | Sharhabil Yafar | 450–465 | Son of (98). Known as 'Amr in the Arabian folklore and traditions. |
101 | Sharhabil Yakkuf | 465–480 | The nephew of (100) and the son of (99). He was the first king to start the persecution of Christians in the Arabian realms. |
102 | Marthad'ilan Yu'nim | 480–485[11] | There is only one inscription available of this king, and after him is a fifteen-year period of rule with no known ruler yet, throughout Himyarite history.[11] |
103 | Marthad'ilan Yanuf | 504–515 | A Christian ruler of Himyar, he is the son of regent Abdul Kulal ibn Muthawwib who was also a Christian. His name is seen in a rock inscription labelled "YM 1200" in the corpus of the many South Arabian inscriptions.[4] |
104 | Ma'dikarib Ya'fur | 515–517 | He was appointed as a king by the Aksumite Empire.[12] In the Arabian folklore, Ma'dikarib Ya'fur does not exist, and is instead replaced by an unknown Dhu Shanatir. |
105 | Dhu Nuwas | 517–530 | The last of the native Himyarite kings, he rose to power in 517 after assassinating (104). His real name was Yusuf As'ar Yathar and his father was an unknown Sharhabil, thought to have been Sharhabil Yakkuf (101). He was known for his persecutions of Christians. He was killed in the year 530 during the Aksumite conquest of Yemen by King Kaleb. |
Aksumite rulers of Saba' and Himyar
After the Aksumites successfully invaded and subsequently took control of Yemen, they appointed a native Christian as the vassal ruler of Saba' and Himyar. However, later on actual Abyssinians would rule Saba' and Himyar temporarily until the Sasanian Empire conquered Yemen under request from the native Yemenis.
King | Reigned | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
106 | Sumyafa Ashwa | 530–535 | A native from Himyar who had converted to Christianity, Sumyafa Ashwa was appointed by Kaleb as the ruler of Saba' and Himyar. He was deposed and overthrown in 535 by Abraha, who usurped the throne from him. |
107 | Abraha | 535–570 | A usurper to the throne, he deposed Sumyafa Ashwa by force and imprisoned him. He also turned against Kaleb, but they later reconciled and he was allowed to keep his throne. He is best known for his attempted invasion of Mecca, a famous story in Islamic literature and exegesis. |
108 | Yaksum ibn Abraha | 570–571 | Son of Abraha, he ruled for no more than one year, as he ascended the throne in 570, but died the following year. |
109 | Masruq ibn Abraha | 571–572 | Son of Abraha and the brother of Yaksum. After his brother's death, he took the throne. During this time period, the native Yemenis revolted against him and later on, they were assisted by forces from the Persian Sasanian Empire. Masruq was ultimately killed in the attack by the invading Persian army, ending Aksumite rule over Himyar. |
Vassal rulers of the Sasanian Empire
King | Reigned | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
110 | Ma'adi Yakrib ibn Abi Murrah | 572–574 | Appointed as a vassal king by the Sasanian Empire. He ruled for two years until he was stabbed to death by Abyssinian assailants whom he had hired as his servants. After his death, his son Ma'dikarib was made a temporary ruler of Yemen. |
- Radner, Karen; Moeller, Nadine; Potts, Daniel T. (2023). The Oxford history of the ancient Near East. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-068766-3.
- 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.
- 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.
- "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
- Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2008). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. Dar-us-Salam Publications. ISBN 978-9960899558.
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- Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sasanid soldiers in early muslim society: the origins of 'Ayyaran and Futuwwa. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-03652-8.
- "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian -RES 4708 A)". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- The History of Al-Tabari: The Sasanids, the Lakhmids, and Yemen. SUNY Press. p. 184-186. ISBN 9780791443569.
- Bowersock, G. W. (2013-04-01). The Throne of Adulis: Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-933384-4.