Marthad'ilan Yu'nim
| Marthad'ilan Yu'nim | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum and Tihamat | |||||||||
| Reign |
| ||||||||
| Predecessor | Sharhabil Yakkuf and Lakhni'ah Yanuf | ||||||||
| Successor | Marthad'ilan Yanuf | ||||||||
| Died | c. 504 Yemen | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Father | Lakhni'ah Yanuf | ||||||||
| Religion | Judaism | ||||||||
Marthad'ilan Yu'nim (Arabic: مرثد ألن ينعم) also known as Marthad al-Khayr, was a Himyarite king who primarily reigned in the late 5th century CE. He is known for his involvement in the Basus War.
Name[edit]
As attested in inscriptions, his name is Marthad'ilan Yu'nim; his full name being Marthad ibn Lakhni'ah Yanuf al-Himyari.[1] In the books of Arab heritage, his name is Marthad al-Khayr ibn Dhi Jadan.[2] The word Yun'im is Himyaritic for "blessed" which is al-Khayr in Arabic.
Reign[edit]
Marthad'ilan Yu'nim started his reign in the year 480. During his reign, he constructed a place of worship known as a Kenesit for the local Jewish population, theorized to be a synagogue.[1][3] Christian J. Robin believed his reign ended in the year 485 CE[3] however there is an inscription dated to 502 CE which does mention his name along with his siblings; the inscription also does not mention him with royal titles.[4] According to the Arabian traditions, Marthad'ilan Yu'nim was succeeded by a king named Qarmal.[2]
Military campaigns[edit]
During the Basus War, large-scale riots between Banu Asad and Banu Bakr occured in Yemen. Marthad'ilan Yu'nim sent a force of five hundred soldiers to restore order and quell the riots.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, volume 28, pages 81–88. 1998.
- ^ a b c Abu Abdullah al-Zanjani. Kitab Sharh al-Tafasir al-Sabi'a. Shamela. p. 26.
- ^ a b The Oxford handbook of late antiquity. Oxford handbooks. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-19-533693-1.
- ^ Robin, Christian Julien (2023-12-31). "La guerre en Arabie au iiie siècle de l'ère chrétienne, d'après les faits d'armes d'un prince ḥimyarite". Syria. Archéologie, art et histoire (in French) (100): 211–281. doi:10.4000/syria.15420. ISSN 0039-7946.