Najran Massacre

Najran Massacre 523 AD

In 523 AD, the Himyarite king Yusuf Asar Dhu Nuwas, a Jewish ruler of the Himyarite Kingdom in present day Yemen, targeted the Christian population of Najran. Dhu Nuwas pressured the Christians to convert to Judaism and promised them safety if they complied.

Historical accounts indicate that many Christian leaders and inhabitants were initially deceived by promises of protection but were later executed when they refused to renounce their faith. This included the principal Christian leader identified in later sources as Arethas or Abd Allah ibn Harith. The massacre involved mass killings, including executions and burning of groups of people.

Sources from Syriac, Byzantine, and later medieval records describe the brutality, noting that the attacks continued over several days until the city was subdued. Estimates of the number of victims vary, ranging from several thousand up to about 20000, though exact numbers are uncertain due to the nature of ancient sources.

The event was commemorated in later Christian traditions as the martyrdom of the Christians of Najran.