Yusuf As'ar Yath'ar (Dhu Nuwas), Jewish king of Himyar
c. c. 517 – c. 525
Place: zafar
14.200, 44.400 · On the map
His own Sabaic inscriptions (Bir Hima: Ja 1028, Ry 507, Ry 508) and Christian martyr texts both attest him, though they tell very different stories.
Yusuf took power in Himyar around 522, attacked Aksumite garrisons and Christian towns, and besieged Najran. His own inscriptions at Bir Hima record the campaign. Christian sources call him a persecutor, while later Arabic tradition remembers him as Dhu Nuwas.
People named here
- Yusuf As'ar Yath'ar
Links
Sequence
In
Himyar's official monotheism (Rahmanan)
Yusuf's Jewish kingship grew out of a century of official Himyarite monotheism.
precedes
attested
Conflict and authority
Out
Martyrdom of the Christians of Najran
Yusuf's forces massacred the Christians of Najran.
caused
attested
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dhu Nuwas
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Christian Julien Robin, 'Ḥimyar, Aksum, and Arabia Deserta in Late Antiquity: The Epigraphic Evidence', in G. Fisher (ed.), Arabs and Empires before Islam (2015)
Oxford University Press. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Bir Hima Rock Petroglyphs and Inscriptions
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.