Aksumite–Persian wars
| Aksumite–Persian wars | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Depiction of the Persian army general Wahrez killing the Aksumite king Masruq ibn Abraha with an arrow, from Tarikhnama | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Sasanian Empire Himyarites | Kingdom of Aksum | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Khosrow I Wahrez Saif ibn Dhi Yazan † Nawzadh † | Masruq ibn Abraha † | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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16,000 infantry (modern estimate) 800 cavalry (according to al-Tabari) | 6,000–10,000 troops | ||||||||
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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. Between 570 and 580 AD, two Persian invasions secured control over South Arabia, giving rise to the province of Sasanian Yemen. This period also gave rise to a group with a distinct ethnic and cultural identity known as the Al-Abna', the children of the Persian soldiers who intermarried among local Arabs. South Arabia remained under Persian rule from the Aksumite–Persian wars until the early Muslim conquests.
Descriptions of the conquest depend on largely legendary Arabic traditions, as it largely undescribed in contemporary sources, absent from Sasanian documents and only noted in passing by Byzantine sources. One of the major sources for the Aksumite-Persian wars is the History of the Prophets and Kings by Al-Tabari. According to this source, in the 520s, the Kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia would invade and conquer South Arabia in response to the persecution of the Christian community of Najran. This brought about an end to the rule of the long-reigning Himyarite Kingdom and the deposition of its then-leader, Dhu Nuwas. By 570, the subjugated Himyarite king Sayf 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 after, he was murdered by his Aksumite servants. Facing an Aksumite reconquest, the Sasanian Empire mounted a second invasion and re-conquered Yemen by 578, indefinitely ending Aksumite rule outside of Africa. 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.