The Second Abyssinian Occupation of Yemen
الاحتلال الحبشي الثاني لليمن
525 CE – 575 CE
In 525, answering the Najran atrocity, the Roman emperors equipped an Abyssinian fleet which landed seventy thousand under Aryat; Aryat governed until his general Abraha killed him and ruled in his place — the Abraha of the elephant campaign against the Kaaba.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
Seventy thousand Abyssinian soldiers landed under Aryat in 525 CE in a fleet the Romans had prepared, in revenge for the People of the Trench; then Abraha seized power.
The story
The Roman emperors incited the Abyssinians and prepared a fleet for them, and seventy thousand Abyssinian soldiers landed and occupied Yemen a second time under Aryat's command in 525 CE 1.
Aryat remained governor on behalf of the king of Abyssinia until Abraha — one of his army commanders — assassinated him and ruled in his place after placating the Abyssinian king 1. It is this Abraha who mustered the troops to demolish the Kaaba; he and his soldiers became known as the People of the Elephant 1.
For young visitors
Abyssinia punished the king of Yemen for burning the Christians and occupied the land; then its commander Abraha turned on its governor and ruled in his place.
Connections
- Had participant
- Aryat (Abraha’s predecessor in Yemen)AbrahaThe Aksumite Kingdom (Abyssinia)The Byzantine Empire
- Occurred at
- Yemen
- Led to
- The Year of the Elephant and the Prophet's birth
- Part of
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
People and things also explored
AbrahaYemenLiberation and Persian Rule of YemenAryat (Abraha’s predecessor in Yemen)The Year of the Elephant and the Prophet's birthThe Battle of Dhu QarThe Expulsion of Jurhum from MeccaThe Flood of al-Arim (the Bursting of Maʾrib Dam)
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
- Tafhim al-Quran — Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Second Abyssinian Occupation of Yemen”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/abyssinian-occupation-of-yemen/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.