Abraha (Ge’ez: አብርሃ) (also spelled Abreha, died after 570 CEStuart Munro-Hay (2003) "Abraha" in Siegbert Uhlig (ed.) Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.S. C. Munro-Hay (1991) Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: University Press. p. 87. ), also known as Abraha al-Ashram or Abraha al-Habashi was an Aksumite viceroy of Himyar (modern-day Yemen) in the 6th century. He participated in the Aksumite invasion of Himyar between 525 CE and 530 CE, then seized the Himyarite throne by overthrowing King Sumyafa Ashwa, crowning himself ruler of the Kingdom of Himyar' and its dependencies. He titled himself with the very long royal titles carried by Himyarite kings since the 5th century CE—namely, the title "King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadhramaut, Yamnat, and their Arabs on the coast and the highlands." However, Abraha distinguished himself from previous Himyarite rulers by also styling himself "The Agazian King" (Malikan Ag'azin).
It appears that Abraha faced widespread opposition to his rule in southern Arabia, particularly from the major tribe "Saba'," which was supported by the tribes of Marib, Dhu Yazan, Kinda, and the Bedouin, but he successfully suppressed all of those tribes. After Abraha reasserted his authority in southern Arabia around 548 CE, he repaired much of the infrastructure in Marib, normalized relations with major powers, and engaged important tribes of the time. During the 550s CE, Abraha set out to establish a Himyaritic empire that, during his reign, expanded to include most of the Arabian Peninsula; ultimately, his empire did not last long. Abraha’s two sons, who succeeded him on the throne, lacked their father's ambitious qualities, and no inscriptions for either ruler have been discovered yet.
He is famous for the tradition of his failed siege of Mecca, an event that is referred to as the Year of the Elephant in Islamic tradition, using an army that included war elephants. This event is interpreted by some to be the historical context behind Surah Al-Fil, the 105th surah of the Quran. A newly discovered Himyarite inscription may mention elephants, offering potential support for this battle having taken place. Abraha's campaign of the Elephan became a watershed event used by the people of Mecca as a starting point for dating years and recording events. This incident also contributed to exalting the status of the Holy Kaaba in Mecca, enhancing its religious and symbolic position across the Arabian Peninsula, and elevating the standing of Quraysh among other tribes as the guardians of the House.
Life The Byzantine historian Procopius identified Abraha as the former slave of a Roman merchant who conducted business in Adulis, while the Muslim historian al-Tabari says that he was related to the Aksumite royal family. Later, Abraha was either one of the commanders or a member of one of the armies led by King Kaleb of Axum against Dhu Nuwas. In al-Tabari's history, Abraha is said to have been the commander of the second army sent by Kaleb of Axum after the first, led by 'Ariat, failed.
Abraha was reported to have led his army of 100,000 men to successfully crush all resistance by the Yemeni army and then, following the suicide of Dhu Nuwas, seized power and established himself at Sanaa. However, he aroused the wrath of Kaleb by withholding tribute. In response, Kaleb sent his general 'Ariat to take over the governorship of Yemen. One version of what then happened was that Abraha fought a duel with 'Ariat which resulted in 'Ariat being killed and Abraha suffering the injury which earned him the sobriquet al-Ashram "Scarface.""Abraha." Dictionary of African Christian Biographies. 2007. (last accessed 11 April 2007) It was also said that Abraha's nose had either been lost in battle or had been severely damaged due to a disease.
According to Procopius, Abraha seized control of Yemen from Sumyafa Ashwa, the Christian viceroy appointed by Kaleb, with the support of dissident elements within the Aksumite soldiers who were eager to settle in South Arabia, then a rich and fertile land. An army sent by Kaleb to subdue Abraha decided instead to join his ranks and killed the commander (perhaps a reference to 'Ariat), and a second army was defeated. After this, Kaleb had to accord Abraha de facto recognition; he earned a more formal recognition under Kaleb's successor in return for nominal tribute. Stuart Munro-Hay, who proposes a 518 date for the rise of Dhu Nuwas, dates this event to 525,S. C. Munro-Hay (1991) Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity. Edinburgh: University Press. p. 87. while by the chronology based on Dhu Nuwas coming to power in 523, this event would have happened about 530, although a date as late as 543 has been postulated by Jacques Ryckmans.
The reign of Abraha is documented in several inscriptions. The most detailed is dated to 548 CE and commemorates the suppression of a rebellion by the governor of Kinda, Yazid, and Sabaean as well as Himyarite princes. It also recorded the restoration of the Marib Dam, and the hosting of an international conference in which delegations from the Kingdom of Aksum, the Sasanian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Lakhmid Kingdom, and the Ghassanids came to Marib. The reason for this conference is not known.
The second inscription of Abraha, dated 552, mentions military campaigns in central Arabia. Two columns of Arab auxiliaries tasked with suppressing a rebellion by Banu Amir, while Abraha himself went to Haliban, approximately 300 km southwest of Riyadh. The Ma‘add tribe was defeated, and they pledged allegiance and handed over hostages. While, Nasrid ‘Amr, son of al-Mundhir, offered his own son, who had previously served as the governor of Ma‘add. The inscriptions reads as:
With Rahmanan's might and that of His Messiah, King Abraha Zybmn, king of Saba’, of dhu-Raydan, of Hadramawt, and of Yamnat, and of their Arabs in the Upper-Country and on the Coast, inscribed this text when he raided Ma‘add for the fourth time, in the month of dha-thabatan [April], when all the Banu Amir had revolted; the king sent Abu Jabr with Kinda and ‘Ali, and Bishr son of Hisn with Sa‘d and Murad; the two chiefs of the army began to battle against the Banu Amir, Kinda, and Ali in the valley of dhu Murakh, and Murad and Sa'd in a valley at the water hole of Turaban, and they slew, took prisoners, and seized booty in abundance; the king held an assembly at Haliban and they pledged allegiance, the rebels of Ma‘add who surrendered hostages; following this, Amr, son of Mundhir submitted to [Abraha], he gave his son as a hostage while he Amr had been set up as governor over Ma‘add [Abraha] returned from Haliban with Rahmanan's might, in the month of dhu-‘allan [September] six hundred and sixty-two.
Abraha's last notable inscription celebrates the consolidation of power over a large portion of the Arabian Peninsula and enumerates the various regions and tribes that submitted to him. This inscription, known as Murayghān 3, is believed to have been created after the previous inscription (Ry 506). Two significant facts are stated in this inscription. Firstly, it indicates that Abraha had lost control of the great tribal confederation of Ma'add. Abraha commends himself for successfully reconquering Ma'add. Secondly, it highlights the conquest of a substantial portion of the Arabian Peninsula. The inscription reads as:
The king Abraha ZYBMN, King of Saba' and Dhū-Raydān and Hadramōt and Yamanāt and their Arabs of the Upper Country and on the coast, wrote this inscription when he returned from the land of Ma'add, when he seized the Arabs of Ma'add from Mundhir and drove out 'Amr, son of Mundhir, and he seized all the Arabs of Ma'add and Hagar and Khatt and Tayy and Yathrib and Guzām.
The different locations have all been positively identified, except for "Guzam," which Christian Robin believes is a reference to the Judham tribe.
In addition to the inscriptions, Abraha's military achievements and his influence over the Arabian Peninsula are also reflected in authentic poetry from the period. The 8th Century poet Musayyib bin al-Rîfl, a descendant of Zuhayr ibn Janab of the tribe of Banū Kalb, composed verses that testify to the enduring reverence held for Abraha long after his rule. According to French scholar Christian Robin, this poetry is remarkable because it reveals that Abraha continued to enjoy great respect in some circles more than a century after the advent of Islam. In a fragment of five verses, Musayyib explicitly boasts that his ancestor Zuhayr was entrusted by Abraha with the governance of the tribes of Bakr and Taghlib.
The other inscriptions from Abraha's reign discuss the last repairs to the Marib Dam, and potentially the building of the famous Al-Qalis Church, although this is uncertain and may have been construction work at Ghumdan palace. It is dated to 559/560, making it the last known dated Himyarite text.
The final known inscription that mentions Abraha was discovered in 2018 at the rock art site of Himā, approximately 100 kilometers north-northeast of Najrān, by the Franco-Saudi Najran archaeological mission. Designated D IDHBAH JFR01.29, the text is written in a transitional form of the South Arabian script and reads: "May Abraha Zbymn reign". Due to its irregular execution—including reversed letters and amateur carving techniques—researchers believe it was likely a slogan that was shouted during the king's passage, later engraved by an enthusiastic admirer rather than Abraha himself.
Hisham ibn al-Kalbi mentions one of the Quraysh, al-Ḥarith ibn Alqama, who was a hostage of the Quraysh was handed over to Abraha the Abyssinian. The Quraysh surrendered him to Abraha, who agreed in return not to sever the commercial relations between his kingdom and Mecca. The need for the surrender of hostages arose after some merchants from Abraha's country had been robbed in Mecca. Another hostage with Abraha, ʿUtbān bin Mālik of the Thaqif tribe, was from Taif, east-southeast of Mecca. Al-Kalbi also provides some details about Abraha's offspring. Rayhana, "daughter of al-Ashram al-Ḥabashī [the Abyssinian]," is said to have given birth to Abraha ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ, "king of Tihamah [along the Red Sea coast]". His brother was Khayr ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ. Another daughter of Abraha, sister of Masruq, was Basbāsa.
Year of the Elephant
Islamic view Abraha is best known in Islamic accounts for his infamous attempt to attack the Kaaba in Mecca. He aimed to replace the Kaaba by constructing a grand church named the Al-Qalis (from the Greek Ekklesia) in Sanaa.Edward Ullendorff (1960) The Ethiopians: an Introduction to Country and People. 2nd edition. London: Oxford University Press. p. 56.Abraha | viceroy of Yemen. Encyclopaedia Britannica. He also built a church in Najran for Bani Al-Harith, the House of Al-Lat in Taif for the tribe of Banu Thaqif, the House of Yareem and the House of Ghamdan in Yemen.