Abraha

Abraha
King of Himyar
14th-century Persian illustration of Abraha on his attempted destruction of the Kaaba, taken from a "Tarikhnama" (history book).
Tenure535–553/570
PredecessorSumyafa Ashwa
SuccessorYaksum ibn Abraha
Diedc. 570
WifeRayhana bint Dhi Jadan
IssueYaksum, Masruq
ReligionChristianity

Abraha (Ge’ez: አብርሃ) (also spelled Abreha, died presumably in 570 CE), was an Aksumite viceroy for the Kingdom of Aksum who ruled over the territories of the conquested Himyarite Kingdom in modern-day Yemen in the 6th century. He is famous for the tradition of his attempt to destroy the Kaaba, a revered religious site in Mecca, using an army that included war elephants, an event known as Year of the Elephant.