Sharhabil Ya'fur (
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: شرحبيل يعفر), also known as
'Amr ibn Tubba' al-Himyari, was a
Himyarite
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
king who ruled in the 5th century CE. His rule was unique, as he was the only ruler descended from
Dhamar Ali Yahbur II
Dhamar ʿAlī Yuhabirr (or Dhamarʿalī Yuhabirr) (r. 321–324?) was a king of the Himyarite Kingdom (in modern-day Yemen). The definitive event during his reign was the submission of the Kingdom of Hadhramaut to his polity. Though he had a short ...
who ruled by himself and did not have a co-regent.
Reign
Sharhabil Ya'fur was co-regent with his father
Abu Karib As'ad and brother
Hassan Yuha'min
Hassan Yuha'min (Arabic: حسان يهأمن), full name Hassan Yuha'min ibn Abi Karib As'ad al-Himyari, was a Himyarite king who ruled in the 5th century CE. Originally, he ruled as part of a co-regency with his father, Abu Karib before ruling alo ...
in 433 CE. After Abu Karib As'ad had died, Sharhabil Ya'fur and Hassan Yuha'min jointly ruled over Yemen. In 450 CE, only Sharhabil's name was visible in inscriptions, implying that Hassan Yuha'min was no longer in power.
[Iwona Gajda, Ḥimyar gagné par le monothéisme (IVe-VIe siècle de l'ère chrétienne). Ambitions et ruine d'un royaume de l'Arabie méridionale antique. Aix-Marseille University. 1997] Sharhabil Ya'fur then ruled alone, a style which was different from the other rulers descended from
Dhamar Ali Yahbur
Dhamarʿalī Yuhabirr bin Yāsir Yuhaṣdiq (Ḏmrʿly Yhbr), was the ''king of Saba' and ḏu-Raydān'' from c. 135 to 175 CE. He ascended the Himyarite throne amidst clashes between Sabaʾ and Ḥimyar. The earliest mention of Dhamarʿalī Yuha ...
, as he did not have a co-regent throughout the rest of his life.
The last inscription mentioning his name is dated to 465 CE
however Christian J. Robin believed that he remained in power until 468 CE. The similarly-named
Sharhabil Yakkuf
Sharhabil Yakkuf (Arabic: شرحبيل يكف) also known as Šaraḥbiʾil Yakûf ( Ge'ez: Sarābhēl Dänkəf) was a king of Himyar who reigned in the 5th century CE. He succeeded the similarly-named Sharhabil Yafur. He is also the founder of a ...
succeeded him.
Construction projects
In 454 CE, cracks appeared on the
Ma'rib Dam, causing it to leak. Sharhabil Ya'fur, using a huge sum of money, hired a lot of builders to help restore the dam to its original state. Construction was completed a year later in 455 CE. According to
Tabari
Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (), was a Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present-day ...
, Sharhabil Ya'fur also constructed a large monument commemorating himself at
Dhofar
The Dhofar Governorate () is the largest of the 11 governorates in the Sultanate of Oman in terms of area. It lies in southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen's Al Mahrah Governorate and the southern border with Saudi Arabia's Easter ...
.
Sharhabil Ya'fur in Arabian legends
According to the Arabian folklore, the tribal chiefs who were tired of Hassan's rule incited his brother Sharhabil Ya'fur (known here as 'Amr ibn Tubba' al-Himyari) against him. So, despite pleas from Hassan and advice from a chief who disagreed with the rebellion, 'Amr killed Hassan and was installed as the new ruler on the throne of Himyar.
[The History of Al-Tabari: The Sasanids, the Lakhmids, and Yemen. SUNY Press. p. 184-186. ISBN 9780791443569.] Historians believe this story may have preserved a historical fact that Sharhabil Ya'fur killed his predecessor; which explains how he did not have a co-regent at all.
Arabian legends also narrate that 'Amr had a son named Hassan, who reigned after
Marthad'ilan Yanuf
Marthad'ilan Yanuf (Arabic: مرثد ألن ينوف), also romanized as Murthid 'Alan Yanuf, was a Himyarite king who reigned in the early 6th century CE. A devout Christian, Marthad'ilan Yanuf engaged in diplomatic relations with the Aksumite Emp ...
.
See also
*
List of rulers of Saba and Himyar
This is a list of rulers of Saba' and Himyar, ancient Arab kingdoms which are now part of present-day Yemen. The kingdom of Saba' became part of the Himyarite Kingdom in the late 3rd century CE.
The title Mukarrib (Old South Arabian: , romanize ...
References
{{reflist
5th-century Arab people
Kings of Himyar
Yemenite Jews
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Middle Eastern kings