Niya (also Niye, Niy, Nii, and Nihe) was a kingdom in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

near the Orontes River in northern Syria next to Nuhasse.

History

Late Bronze

In the Amarna letters correspondence of

1350 Year 1350 ( MCCCL) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 9 – Giovanni II Valente becomes Doge of Genoa. * May 23 (possible date) – Hook and Cod wars in the Cou ...

1335 BC The 1330s BC is a decade which lasted from 1339 BC to 1330 BC. Events and trends * 1336 BC: Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt names Smenkhkare as a co-ruler. * 1336 BC: Tutankhaten becomes Pharaoh of Egypt and marries Ankhesenpaaten, his half sister ...

, ''Nii'' is referenced in two letters. The city of

Tunip Tunip (probably modern Tell 'Acharneh) was a city-state along the Orontes River in western Syria in the Late Bronze Age. It was large enough to be an urban center, but too small to be a dominant regional power. It was under the influence of var ...

in the northern

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

had been trying to communicate to the Egyptian

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

for two decades, and resorted to another letter, EA 59: entitled: ''"From the citizens of Tunip"'', ( EA for 'el

Amarna Amarna (; ) is an extensive ancient Egyptian archaeological site containing the ruins of Akhetaten, the capital city during the late Eighteenth Dynasty. The city was established in 1346 BC, built at the direction of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, and a ...

'). The

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

Arqa Arqa (; ) is a Lebanese village near Miniara in Akkar Governorate, Lebanon, 22 km northeast of Tripoli, near the coast. The town was a notable city-state during the Iron Age. The city of ''Irqata'' sent 10,000 soldiers to the coalition a ...

also sent a letter to pharaoh, requesting aid (EA 100). The other letter referencing ''Nii'' concerns the individual

Etakkama Etakkama, as a common name, but also, Aitukama, Atak(k)ama, Etak(k)ama, and Itak(k)ama is the name for the 'mayor' (king) of Qidšu, ( Kadesh) of the 1350– 1335 BC Amarna letters correspondence. (Qidšu is also referenced as: Qinšu, also Kis ...

, his collusion with the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

, and the takeover of territory, 'city-states', and peoples in the northern and western Levant.

Mitanni Period

In the 15th century BC, the entire region came under the control of the Mitanni Empire.

Amarna Archive, ''"Nii"'', 2--letters

* EA 59, title: "From the citizens of

" :"To the king of Egypt, our lord: Message of "the citizens of Tunip", your servant. For you may all go well. And we fall at the feet of my lord. :My lord, thus says "Tunip", your servant: Tunip—who ''ruled'' it in the past? Did not Manakhpirya-(i.e. "Men-

Kheper ''Kheper'' is a subgenus of ''Scarabaeus'': the typical genus of scarab beetles in the tribe Scarabaeini. The genus name honors the god Khepri in the ancient Egyptian religion, who is depicted as having a scarab for a head. ''Kheper'' can be fou ...

Rê Ra is the Sun-god of Ancient Egypt. Ra or RA may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * Ra (Stargate), a character from the film ''Stargate'', based on the Egyptian god * ''Ra'' (1972 film), a 1972 documentary film about ...

-iya"): ''am-ma-ti-wu-uš (your'' ancestor) ''rule'' it? :The gods and the ...: ''na-ab-ri-il-la-an'' (=?) of the king of Egypt, our lord, dwell in Tunip, and he should inquire of his ancients: ''am-ma-ti'' (ancient) when we did not belong to our lord, the king of Egypt-(named: Mizri). :And now, for 20–years, we have gone on writing to the king, our lord, but our messengers have stayed on with the king, our lord. And now, our lord, we ask for the son of 'Aki- Teššup' from the king, our lord. May our lord give him. :My lord, ''if'' the king of Egypt has given the son of Aki-Teššup, why does the king, our lord, call him back from the journey? :And now

Aziru Aziru (Akk. ma-zi-ra) was the Canaanite ruler of Amurru, modern Lebanon, in the 14th century BC. He was the son of Abdi-Ashirta, the previous Egyptian vassal of Amurru and a direct contemporary of Akhenaten. Reign Relations with Egypt The de ...

is going to hear that in Hittite territory a hostile fate has overtaken your servant, ''a ruler'' (and) your gardener. :Should his (the king's) troops and his

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

s be delayed, Aziru will do to us just as he did to ''Nii''. :If we ourselves are negligent and the king of Egypt does nothing about these things that Aziru is doing, then he will ''surely'' direct his hand against our lord. :When Aziru entered Sumur, he did to them as he pleased, in the house of the king, our lord. But our lord did nothing about the(s)e things. :And now ''Tunip'', your city, weeps, and its tears flow, and there is no grasping of our hand. :We have gone on writing to the king, our lord, the king of Egypt, for 20–years, and not a single word of our lord has reached us." -EA 59, lines 1-46 (complete) * EA 53, title: "Of the villain Aitukama" EA 53 is a 70–line letter of area intrigues, -(written by "Prince

Akizzi Akizzi (Akk. ma-ki-iz-zi) was the King of Qatna around 1350-1345 BC. He is also known as a writer of several of the Amarna Letters, im which he requested aid from the pharaoh against invaders. He was a successor of Idanda. While Idanda is known ...

" of

Qatna Qatna (modern: , Tell al-Mishrifeh; also Tell Misrife or Tell Mishrifeh) was an ancient city located in Homs Governorate, Syria. Its remains constitute a tell situated about northeast of Homs near the village of al-Mishrifeh. The city was an ...

). The letter starting at line 35: :".... :"My rd, Teu tti of L paa and sawuya of

Ruhizzi Ruhizzi, was a city, or city-state located in northern Canaan or southern Amurru territories, in the foothills of Mount Hermon during the time of the Amarna letters correspondence. During the 15-20 year Amarna letters of 1350- 1335 BC, Arsawuy ...

place themselves at the disposition of Aitukama, and he sends u, the land of my lord, up in flames. :My lord, just as I love the king, m lord, so too the king of

Nuhašše Nuhašše (kurnu-ḫa-áš-še; kurnu-ḫa-šeki), was a region in northwestern Syria that flourished in the 2nd millennium BC. It was east of the Orontes River bordering Aleppo (northwest) and Qatna (south). It was a petty kingdom or federacy of ...

, the ''king of Nii'', the king of Zinzar-(

Shaizar Shaizar or Shayzar (; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία in Greek language, Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Near ...

), and the king of Tunanab; all of these kings are my lord's servants. :As far as the king, my lord, can, he co es forth. Butit is being said, "The king, my lord, will not come forth." 'And so''may the king, my lord, send

archers Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

they may co eto this country. ice, my lord, these kings are ones who ''l v'' him, let a

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

of the king, my lord, (come(?), just name their gifts so they can give them, (to them(?)). :My lord, if he makes this land a matter of concern to my lord, then may my lord send archers that they may come here. (Only) messengers of my lord have arrived here. :My lord, if Arsawuya of Ruhizzi, and Teuwatti of Lapana remain in Upu, and Tašša-(the city), remains in the Am u my lord should also know about them that Upu wil not belong to my lord. Daily they write to Aitukama and say as follows: "Come, tak Upu in its entirety." :My lord, just Dimaški in Upu: ''ka4-di-hi (falls)'' at your feet, so ''may''

: ''ka4-di-hu-li-eš (fall)'' at your feet. My lord, one asks for life before my messenger. I do not fear 'at al'' in the presence of the archers of my lord, ''since'' the archers belong to my lord. If he sends (them) to me, they will en erQatna." -EA 53 (complete: ''only'' lines 35-70 (End)). The region of ''

Upu The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

'' is centered at Damascus, and the Amqu is the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

region to the west and northwest. Nii, and

are north and northeast(?).

Hittite Period

It is also mentioned in the Hittite Sources under Suppiluliuma I who conquered the region.

References