# Aksum invades Himyar (c. 525)

URL: https://allhistories.com/saudi/timeline/525-aksum-invades-himyar
Themes: Wars & Battles

Around 525, the Aksumite king Kaleb of Ethiopia crossed the Red Sea with a large army, reportedly carried partly by ships supplied at Byzantine request. Dhu Nuwas was defeated and killed, and a Christian Himyarite noble, Sumyafa Ashwa, was installed as a vassal ruler answerable to Aksum. Within a few years, the Aksumite commander Abraha overthrew Sumyafa Ashwa and made himself ruler of Himyar, keeping only loose ties with Aksum. Abraha then governed South Arabia for decades.

## Why it matters
Aksumite rule made South Arabia, including Najran and Asir, part of the struggle between Byzantium, Persia and their allies.

Ruler at the Time: [Dhu Nuwas (Yusuf Asar Yathar)](https://allhistories.com/saudi/rulers/dhu-nuwas-yusuf-asar-yathar)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Kaleb of Axum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaleb_of_Axum)
- [Wikipedia — Aksumite Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksumite_Empire)
- [Wikipedia — Sumyafa Ashwa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumyafa_Ashwa)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Aksum invades Himyar](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Aksum+invades+Himyar)
- [Wikipedia — Pre-Islamic Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Islamic_Arabia)
- [Wikipedia — History of Saudi Arabia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Saudi_Arabia)