List of rulers of Saba and Himyar

This is a list of rulers of Saba' and Himyar, ancient Arab kingdoms which are now part of present-day Yemen. The kingdom of Saba' became part of the Himyarite Kingdom in the late 3rd century CE.
The title Mukarrib was used by the rulers of Saba' along the title Malik. The title of Mukarrib might have been used as a formal title for the head of a commonwealth of different šaʿb groups until it eventually disappeared by the start of the first millennium AD. On the other hand, Malik was used as a title for the head of a šaʿb with various legal obligations. Later, the title of Malik transformed to imply territorial rule. After the fall of Dhu Nuwas around 530 CE to the Aksumite Empire, Yemen was open for foreign domination by the Aksumites and later the Sasanian Empire, both of whom installed local vassal rulers over the Yemeni people.

Kings of Saba' & Dhu Raydan & Hadhramaut & Yamnat (2nd Himyarite Kingdom)

King of Saba', Dhu Raydan, Hadramawt, Yamnat and their Arabs, on Tawdum (the high plateau) and Tihamat

This period of time is most famously featured in Arabian legends. This is also the last period of native Yemeni rule.

	King	Reigned	Notes
97	Malkikarib Yuhamin	375–400	Son of. He is the first king to officially convert to Judaism and remove previous polytheistic invocations from records and inscriptions. He also replaced the Great Temple of the pagan god Almaqah with a mikrāb for Jewish organization. Later tradition ascribes the conversion to Judaism to his son, Abu Karib.
98	Abu Karib As'ad	390–440	Son of. Judaism was made the state religion during his rule. Some Arab traditions relate that he was the first ruler to put a covering over the Kaaba during his attempted invasion of Mecca.
99	Hassan Yuha'min	440–450	Son of. He shared kingship with his brother Sharhabil Yafar for a while.
100	Sharhabil Yafar	450–465	Son of. Known as 'Amr in the Arabian folklore and traditions.
101	Sharhabil Yakkuf	465–480	He is believed to have started a new dynasty, as his patronymic is not mentioned in any inscription. Sharhabil Yakkuf is also featured in Ethiopian folklore as being a king who accepted Judaism and persecuted the Christians living in Arabia.
102	Lakhni'ah Yanuf	480–502	He is the son of and did start off his political career by sharing the royal power with his father and other two brothers, Abu Shamir Nawaf and Ma'dikarib Yun'im. Some inscriptions also cite him as being from the Dhu Hasbah/Dhu Asbah tribe.
103	Marthad'ilan Yu'nim	502–504	He is the son of and helped to build a synagogue for the local Jewish community, as well as repaired a local place of worship as stated in Inscription YM 1200.
104	Marthad'ilan Yanuf	504–515	A Christian, he engaged in diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Aksum.
105	Ma'dikarib Ya'fur	515–517	He was appointed as a king by the Aksumite Empire. In the Arabian folklore, Ma'dikarib Ya'fur does not exist, and is instead replaced by an unknown Dhu Shanatir.
106	Dhu Nuwas	517–530	The last of the native Himyarite kings, he rose to power in 517 after assassinating. His real name was Yusuf As'ar Yathar and his father was an unknown Sharhabil, thought to have been Sharhabil Yakkuf. He was known for his persecutions of Christians. He was killed in the year 530 during the Aksumite conquest of Yemen by King Kaleb.

Aksumite rulers of Saba' and Himyar

After the Aksumites successfully invaded and subsequently took control of Yemen, they appointed a native Christian as the vassal ruler of Saba' and Himyar. However, later on actual Abyssinians would rule Saba' and Himyar temporarily until the Sasanian Empire conquered Yemen under request from the native Yemenis.

	King	Reigned	Notes
107	Sumyafa Ashwa	530–535	A native from Himyar who had converted to Christianity, Sumyafa Ashwa was appointed by Kaleb as the ruler of Saba' and Himyar. He was deposed and overthrown in 535 by Abraha, who usurped the throne from him.
108	Abraha	535–570	A usurper to the throne, he deposed Sumyafa Ashwa by force and imprisoned him. He also turned against Kaleb, but they later reconciled and he was allowed to keep his throne. He is best known for his attempted invasion of Mecca, a famous story in Islamic literature and exegesis.
109	Yaksum ibn Abraha	570–571	Son of Abraha, he ruled for no more than one year, as he ascended the throne in 570, but died the following year.
110	Masruq ibn Abraha	571–572	Son of Abraha and the brother of Yaksum. After his brother's death, he took the throne. During this time period, the native Yemenis revolted against him and later on, they were assisted by forces from the Persian Sasanian Empire. Masruq was ultimately killed in the attack by the invading Persian army, ending Aksumite rule over Himyar.