Aksumite–Persian wars
Armed conflict of the 6th century CE / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Aksumite–Persian wars took place in the 6th century, when the Kingdom of Aksum and the Sasanian Empire fought for control over South Arabia. In the 520s, the Aksumite invasion of South Arabia had led to the annexation of the Himyarite Kingdom and the deposition of Dhu Nuwas, who was persecuting the Christian community of Najran. By 570, the subjugated Himyarite king Saif ibn Dhi Yazan sought to end Aksum's hegemony in the region and, after being rejected by the Byzantine Empire, turned to the Persians for military aid. The Persian king Khosrow I agreed upon the stipulation that Himyarite territory would be annexed by the Sasanian Empire in the event of an Aksumite defeat. Subsequently, the Persian army entered South Arabia and secured decisive victories in the Battle of Hadhramaut and then in the Siege of Sanaa, following which the Aksumites were largely expelled from the Arabian Peninsula, excluding Najran. With the establishment of Sasanian Yemen, Yazan was appointed to govern the region. However, four years into his reign, he was murdered by his Aksumite servants. Facing the return of Aksum to South Arabia, the Sasanian Empire mounted a second invasion and re-conquered Yemen by 578, indefinitely ending Aksumite rule outside of Ethiopia. The Persian army general Wahrez was appointed as Yemen's governor, ensuring the suppression of regional pro-Byzantine influence amidst the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 572–591.
Aksumite–Persian wars | |||||||||
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![]() Depiction of the Persian army general Wahrez killing the Aksumite king Masruq ibn Abraha with an arrow, from Tarikhnama | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Sasanian Empire Himyarites | Kingdom of Aksum | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Khosrow I Wahrez Saif ibn Dhi Yazan † Nawzadh † | Masruq ibn Abraha † | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
16,000 infantry (modern estimate) 800 cavalry (Al-Tabari) | 6,000–10,000 troops |
For the next century, the Sasanian Empire maintained army garrisons throughout South Arabia. This period saw the inception of a community known as Al-Abna', which consisted of people whose ethnic lineage was both Iranian and Arab, owing to a high rate of Persian soldiers intermarrying with local Arab women. The Al-Abna' community would go on to play a prominent role during and after the rise of Islam, when most of them joined the early Muslims.