Leader: Dhu Nuwas (Aggressive, Financial)
UU: Red Sea Infantry (Axeman) (-20 cost)
UB: Trade Caravan (Market) (+1 trade route, +1 gold in city tile)
Credits: ambrox62 (unit), Walter Hawkwood (building), fk2006 (buttons)
Description: The kingdom of Himyar was the last and one of the most powerful kingdoms of ancient Yemen. Their history stretches back many centuries before the coming of Christ, although early on they were considered a subordinate territory to the kingdom of Saba, which itself is famous and powerful in its own right.
However, by around 100 BCE, Himyar was gaining autonomy and establishing itself as one of the powers in the region. Competing variously with the Yemenite kingdoms of Saba, Hadramaut, Qatan, and Minaea, by around 300 CE, Himyar reigned supreme in southern Arabia with their victory over Saba. Having united much of region, Himyar prospered in the same manner as many of its predecessor kingdoms – through trade. The southern Arabian peninsula was a center of trade for merchants from all over the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, from East Africa to Egypt to Persia to India. Yemen was a particularly important part of the so-called “Incense Road”, a land trade route stretching across Arabia. Through this lucrative trade, Himyar was able to remain wealthy and powerful for several centuries.
Himyar met its downfall with the ruthless policies of its last king, Dhu Nuwas, who reigned in the early 6th century CE. A convert to Judaism, he prosecuted Christians and even attacked the Christian kingdom of Axum (Ethiopia) – a move few other Yemenite kingdoms had been able to accomplish. Eventually, however, his attacks attracted the attention of the Byzantine Empire, which, in a joint effort with Axum, defeated him. A puppet ruler was installed on the throne, and, along with the decline of the Incense Road and the approaching advent of Islam, Himyar would no longer be an important part of the world stage.
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