ʿAlqama bin Dhi Jadan al-Himyari () also Dhu Jadan the Himyari () (fl. 6th - 7th century) was an Arab poet from

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. He was noted in particular for his poems about the fortresses of Yemen and their destruction including

Ghumdan Palace Ghumdan Palace, also Qasir Ghumdan or Ghamdan Palace, is an ancient palace and fortress in Sana'a, Yemen. It is the earliest known castle in the world. All that remains of the ancient site (Ar. ''khadd'') of Ghumdan is a field of tangled ruins opp ...

, Baynun Fortress and Silhin Fortress. al-Himyari wrote of Ghumdan Palace: :''You have heard of Ghumdan's towers:'' :''From the mountain top it lowers'' :''Well carpentered, with stones for stay,'' :''Plastered with clean, damp, slippery clay;'' :''Oil lamps within it show'' :''At even like the lightening's glow.'' :''This once-new castle is ashes today'' :''The flames have eaten its beauty away.''

References

Yemeni poets 7th-century Arabic poets {{Yemen-writer-stub 6th-century Arabs 7th-century Arabs