Niqmepa (Niqmepuh; ) was a King of Mukish, centered on the capital city of Alalakh in the mid or late 15th century BC.
Early life Family Niqmepa was the son of Idrimi. He may have been a brother of Addu-Nirari.
Reign Accession Not much is known about how Niqmepa came to power. He was a son of Idrimi. Also a certain Addu-Nirari is mentioned as son and heir to Idrimi. This makes the order of succession unclear. It is possible that Idrimi was succeeded by Addu-Nirari and then Niqmepa.
For signing some of his documents, Niqmepa used the Royal Seal of his ancestor Abba-El II as a dynastic seal. Abba-El II was the king of Halab (formerly Yamhad) in the 16th century BC.
Vassalage of Mitanni The Kingdom of Mukish (Alalakh IV) was a vassal of Mitanni. Niqmepa appears to have been subject to the Mitanni king Shaushtatar as his overlord. Mitanni was competing with Egypt for dominance in Syria.
Dispute between Kizzuwatna and Mukish A dispute between king Sunassura of Kizzuwatna and Niqmepa of Mukish was adjudicated by Shaushtatar. This is recorded on two tablets (AIT 13 and AIT 14) that were found at Alalakh. They provide an important synchronism for establishing the timelines of these ruling dynasties.von Dassow, Eva. “Archives of Alalaḫ IV in Archaeological Context.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 338, 2005, pp. 1–69
Attestations Evidence for the reign of King Niqmepa is based on clay cuneiform tablets excavated at Tell Atchana by Charles Woolley.
A treaty between Ir-Teššob of Tunip and Niqmepa of Alalaḫ is also preserved (AlT 2).Schwemer, Daniel 2005 “Vertrag Zwischen Ir-Teššup von Tunip und Niqmepa von Mukiš (Alalaḫ)”, in B. Janowsky - G. Wilhelm (eds.) Staatsverträge, Herrscherinschriften und andere Dokumente zur politischen Geschichte (=TUAT NF 2), 183-186. Gütersloh. pp.183-186
The relationship between Halab (Aleppo) and Alalakh at the time of Niqmepa is illuminated by five texts found at Level IV of Alalakh. Among them is the text AlT 101, which is a receipt showing that Niqmepa of Alalah's returned some fugitives from Aleppo to Wantaraššura, who was probably the ruler of Aleppo at that time. This indicates that Niqmepa was recognizing Halab as a significant regional power.Jacob Lauinger 2024, The Labors of Idrimi: Inscribing the Past, Shaping the Present at Late Bronze Age Alalah. SBL Press, Atlanta. 357pp. p.188
See also Yamhad dynasty
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