Himyar

Himyar, also known as the Himyarite Kingdom, was a kingdom in ancient South Arabia (modern-day Yemen) that flourished from approximately the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century CE. Its capital was Zafar. The Himyarites rose to prominence by gradually integrating and conquering neighboring Saba (Sheba) and other smaller kingdoms.

The Himyarite economy was largely based on agriculture, particularly the cultivation of frankincense and myrrh, valuable commodities traded along the Incense Route. They also engaged in trade with Africa and the Roman Empire. The Himyarites developed sophisticated irrigation systems, evidenced by the ruins of dams and canals.

Himyarite society was complex and stratified. Initially polytheistic, the kingdom experienced a period of fluctuating religious influences, including Judaism and Christianity. In the late 4th and early 5th centuries CE, Judaism became the dominant, state-sponsored religion, although the extent of its adoption throughout the population remains debated by historians. This period saw documented persecution of Christians within the Himyarite kingdom.

The kingdom's decline began in the 6th century CE due to internal conflicts, religious tensions, and external pressures, particularly from the Aksumite Kingdom of Axum (present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea). The Aksumites, with support from the Byzantine Empire, invaded and briefly controlled Himyar in the early 6th century. A Himyarite rebellion briefly restored independence, but in 575 CE, the Aksumites decisively defeated the Himyarites, leading to Aksumite rule that eventually transitioned into Sasanian Persian control in 570 CE.

The fall of Himyar marked the end of an independent South Arabian kingdom and paved the way for the rise of Islam in the region in the following century. The legacy of the Himyarite Kingdom can be seen in its architectural ruins, epigraphic inscriptions, and its impact on the religious and cultural landscape of South Arabia.