Book of the Himyarites and the Letter of Simeon of Beth Arsham
c. c. 525 – c. 535
Place: najran
17.477, 44.179 · On the map
The texts survive (the Book of the Himyarites only in fragments) and are insider and partisan. Simeon's letter is set at al-Hira, which links Najran and Hira in one account.
Syriac Miaphysite texts written soon after 523 tell the Najran story as martyrology: Simeon's letter is an eyewitness-style report from al-Hira, where the Lakhmid king received news of the massacre. The fragmentary Book of the Himyarites was found in a damaged manuscript.
People named here
- Simeon of Beth Arsham
Links
Place
In
al-Hira, Lakhmid capital and Arab Christian center
Simeon of Beth Arsham's Najran letter is set at the Lakhmid court near al-Hira.
located_at
attested
Report and reading
In
Martyrdom of the Christians of Najran
Syriac martyr texts report the massacre (insider).
reported_by
attested
Sources
- Wikipedia: Book of the Himyarites
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Simeon of Beth Arsham
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.