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Kingdom of Ma’in مملكة معين | |
|---|---|
| 600 BCE–150 BCE[1][2] | |
 | |
| Capital | Qarnawu |
| Common languages | Minaean language |
| Religion | Pre-Islamic Arabian religions |
| Demonym(s) | Minaean(s) |
| Government | Monarchy |
| History | |
• Established | 600 BCE |
• Disestablished | 150 BCE[1][2] |
The Minaean people were the inhabitants of the kingdom of Ma'in (Minaean: 𐩣𐩲𐩬 Maʿīn; modern Arabic معين Maʿīn) in modern-day Yemen, dating back to the 6th century BCE.[a] It was located along the strip of desert called Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers, which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn.
The Minaean people were one of four ancient Yemeni groups mentioned by Eratosthenes. The others were the Sabaeans, Ḥaḑramites and Qatabānians. Each of these had regional kingdoms in ancient Yemen, with the Minaeans in the north-west (in Wādī al-Jawf), the Sabaeans to the south-east of them, the Qatabānians to the south-east of the Sabaeans, and the Ḥaḑramites further east still.
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