List of rulers of Saba and Himyar

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]

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]

Mukarribs of Saba' (1000–620 BCE)

	Mukarrib	Reigned	Notes
1	Yatha' 'Amr Bayin	circa 1000–950 BC
2	Yada'il Bayin
3	Samah'ali Yanuf
4	Yatha' 'Amar Watar
5	Yakrib Malek Dzarah
6	Yakrib Malik Watar
7	Samah'ali Yanuf II
8	Yada'il Bayin II
9	Yatha' 'Amar Watar II		He was a contemporary of Sargon II.
10	Yada' Ab
11	Yada'il Bayin III
12	Yakrib Malik Watar II
13	Yatha' 'Amar Bayin II
14	Karib'il Watar		He was a contemporary with Sennacherib. Not to be confused with the later king Karib'il Watar.
15	Yada' Ab II
16	Akh Karib
17	Samah'ali Watar
18	Yada'il Dharih		Son of Samah'ali Watar (17).
19	Samah'ali Yanuf III		Son of Yada'il Dharih (18).
20	Yatha' 'Amar Watar III		Son of Yada'il Dharih (18) and the brother of Samah'ali Yanuf III (19).
21	Yada'il Bayin IV		Son of Yatha' 'Amar Watar III (20).
22	Yada'il Watar		Son of Yatha' 'Amar Watar III (20) and is the brother of Yada'il Bayin IV (21).
23	Dhamar Ali Dharih		Son of Yada'il Bayin IV (21).
24	Yatha' 'Amar Watar IV		Son of Samah'ali Yanuf III (19).
25	Karib'il Bayin		Son of Yatha' 'Amar Watar IV (24).
26	Samah'ali Yanuf IV		Son of Yatha' 'Amar Watar IV (24) and brother of Karabil Bayin (25).
27	Dhamar Ali Watar		Son of Samah'ali Yanuf IV (26).
28	Samah'ali Yanuf V		Son of Dhamar Ali Watar (27).
29	Yatha' 'Amar Bayin III		Son of Samah'ali Yanuf V (28).
30	Yakrib Malik Watar III
31	Dhamar Ali Yanuf		Son of Yakrib Malik Watar III (30).

Kings of Saba'

	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

Kings of Saba' & Dhu Raydan

	King	Reigned	Notes
63	Sha'ram Awtar		Son of (61).
64	Ilisharih 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 (63).
67	Hayu Athtar Yazi'
68	Karib'il Watar Yuhan'im II		Son of (56). Probably the king Charibael of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, said to have dominion over the major ports of Azania (the Swahili coast) through a vassal located at Saba'.
69	Watar Yuha'min		Son of (64).
70	Dhamar Ali Dharih III		Son of (68).
71	Nasha'karib Yuha'min Yuhar'ib		Son of (64).
72	Karib'il Bayin II		Son of (68).
73	Yasir Yuhasdiq
74	Sa'd Shams 'Asri		Son of (64).
75	Murthid Yuhahm'id		Son of (74).
76	Dhamar Ali Yahbur	135–175	Son of 73. His statue made by the Greek sculptors is well preserved and on display at the National Museum of Yemen.^[9]
77	Tha'ran Ya'ub Yuhan'im		Son of (76). Has a statue preserved in the National Museum of Yemen.
78	Dhamar Ali Yahbur II		Son of (77).
79	Shamdar Yuhan'im
80	Amdan Bayin Yuhaqbiz
81	Hutar Athat Yafish
82	Karab Athat Yuhaqbiz
83	Shahar Aymin
84	Rabb Shams Nimran
85	Al-Izz Nawfan Yuhasd'iq
86	Sa'd Um Nimran
87	Yasir Yuhan'im

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.

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details".
5. "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian Inscriptions: Epigraph details". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
6. Mubarakpuri, Saifur Rahman (2008). The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. Dar-us-Salam Publications. ISBN 978-9960899558.
7. Bowersock, Glen Warren (2013). The throne of Adulis: Red Sea wars on the eve of Islam. Emblems of antiquity. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973932-5.
8. Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sasanid soldiers in early muslim society: the origins of 'Ayyaran and Futuwwa. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-03652-8.
9. "DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic arabian -RES 4708 A)". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
10. The History of Al-Tabari: The Sasanids, the Lakhmids, and Yemen. SUNY Press. p. 184-186. ISBN 9780791443569.
11. "Les religions pratiquées par les membres de la tribu de Kinda (Arabie) à la veille de l'Islam - Christian Julien Robin".
12. 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.