Dhu Nuwas

Yusuf As ʾ ar Yath ʾ ar ( altsüdarabisch Y (w) S1F ʾ s1 ʾ r yt ʾ r DMG Yūsuf ʾ As ʾ ar Yat ʾ ar, in the Arab tradition ذو نواس Dhu Nuwas, DMG you Nuwas ) was the last important king of the kingdom of Himyar in southern Arabia and the only ( known) Jewish rulers this kingdom. He ruled for about 521 / 522-529 / 530.

Sources and Name

As Yusuf ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath is mentioned in various contemporary South Arabian, Syrian and Byzantine sources. Various later Jewish, Christian (about the Book of Himyarites and Kebra Nagast ) and Islamic sources (including the Koran 85:4 ) refer to him.

In his South Arabian inscriptions of the king appears as Yusuf As ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath, the Islamic tradition calls him ذو نواس Dhu Nuwas, DMG you Nuwas. The Christian sources use different names, as it is called in ( contemporary ) letter of Simon of Beth- Arsham Dimnon and later in the book Himyarites Masruq.

Rule

As Yusuf ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath came through a coup to power. Maybe he converted to Judaism in order to maintain an independent position between the great powers Ostrom, Persia and Aksum.

Shortly after his reign Stan kick went Yusuf As ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath against the Himyarite Christians who live in Himyar Ethiopians and the Arab tribes who were sympathetic to Ethiopia before. Background was the persecution of Jews by the Ethiopians and Himyarite Christians. The first attack Yusuf As ʾ ʾ ar Yath ars directed against the Himyarite capital Zafar. Yusuf killed the Ethiopians living there sat the local church on fire. Then he attacked the Himyarite Christians and Ethiopians of the Tihama and exposed the Church of the Arab tribe who settled there the Asch ʿ Aran on fire. In anticipation of an attack of the Aksumite kingdom he attached the Yemeni coast. To prevent the Ethiopian ships at a landing, he made the main anchorages at Bab al - Mandab, with a chain, the so-called " chain of Maddabān " inaccessible. Around the same time he left the city Najran siege, which was an important center of South Arabian Christianity, and taught among Christians there is a massacre. Also in the Hadramaut and in Ma'rib he let persecute Christians.

The reaction of the Aksumites was not long in coming. To 525 of the Negus Ella Asbeha organized a military expedition to Himyar, removed Yusuf As ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath, and sat with Sumyafa ʿ ʿ Ashwa own vassals one. As Yusuf ʾ ʾ ar ar Yath fell in battle.