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Concept
Abraha
Summary
Abraha (Ge’ez: አብርሃ) (also spelled Abreha, died after 570 CE), also known as Abrahah al-Ashram (أَبْرَهَة ٱلْأَشْرَم), was an Aksumite general, then the viceroy of South Arabia for the Kingdom of Aksum, and later declared himself an independent King of Himyar, even though he ruled much as a viceroy, relied heavily upon Axumite backing, and ran his kingdom with Axumite customs and religion. Abraha ruled parts of southern Arabia including much of what is now Yemen from around 531–547 CE to around 555–570 CE.
Dhu Nuwas, the Jewish Himyarite king of Yemen, c. 523–525 or c. 518–20 launched military operations against the Aksumite Christians and their local Arab Christian allies. Many Aksumites in Zafar were killed, their fortresses in the Yemeni highlands destroyed, and Najran sacked.
Najran fell in 518 or 523 and many members of the Himyarite Christian community were put to death. This incident, which is also mentioned in the Quran in al-Buruj (85), evoked great sympathy throughout the neighbouring Christian regions and prompted an Aksumite military intervention supported by the Aksumite fleet and aided by a small Byzantine fleet.
The Byzantine historian Procopius identified Abraha as the former slave of a Roman merchant who conducted business in Adulis. 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. He aroused the wrath of Kaleb, however, 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 of al-Asräm, "scar-face.
Official source
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