The Himyarite Kingdom: Yemen's Jewish Empire

Long before Islam, the highlands of Yemen were ruled by the Himyarite kingdom, a powerful empire that controlled the incense trade and eventually adopted Judaism as its official religion. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the rise of Himyar, its conversion under King Tubba' Abu Karib As'ad, and the dramatic reign of Dhu Nuwas, whose persecution of Christians in Najran led to an Ethiopian invasion that ended the kingdom. They discuss the archaeological evidence from the Marib Dam inscriptions, the role of the Jewish community in Yemen, and how Himyar's legacy echoes in later Zaidi imamate traditions. The conversation also touches on the controversy surrounding the date of conversion and the reliability of the sources, including the Book of Himyarites and the Martyrdom of Arethas. This episode offers a fresh angle on pre-Islamic Yemen, connecting it to the themes of religious identity and state formation that run through the podcast.

#Himyar #Yemen #JewishHistory #PreIslamicArabia #DhuNuwas #Najran #MaribDam #IncenseTrade #Zaydi #EthiopianInvasion #AncientKingdoms #ReligiousConversion #KingTubba #BookOfHimyarites #MartyrdomOfArethas #ArabianPeninsula #History #FexingoHistory #YemenHistory #SabaeanKingdom

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