Abraha

Abraha (Ge’ez: አብርሃ) (also spelled Abreha, died after 570 CE), 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...