Al-Nu'man I ibn Imru' al-Qays

11th-century illustration of Nu'man throwing Sinnimar from the roof of the palace Khawarnaq.

Al-Nu'man I ibn Imru' al-Qays (Arabic: النعمان بن امرؤ القيس‎), surnamed al-A'war (الأعور, "the one-eyed") and al-Sa'ih (السائح, "the wanderer/ascetic"), was the king of the Lakhmid Arabs (reigned ca. 390–418[1]).

Nu'man was the son of Imru' al-Qays II ibn 'Amr and followed his father on the throne. He is best known for his construction of two magnificent palaces, the Khawarnaq and Sadir, near his capital al-Hirah, which were accounted by contemporary Arab lore among the wonders of the world. The Khawarnaq was built as a resort for his overlord, the Sasanian Persian shah Yazdegerd I (r. 399–420) and his son Bahram V (r. 420–438), who spent his childhood years there.[2]

According to later Arab tradition, he renounced his throne and became an ascetic, after a reign of 29 years. He is also reputed to have visited the Christian hermit Symeon the Stylite between 413 and 420.[1][3][4] He was succeeded by his son al-Mundhir I (r. 418–452), who played an important role by assisting Bahram V in claiming his throne after Yazdegerd's death and by his actions in the Roman–Sasanian War of 421–422.[1][5]

See also

  • Sinnimar, architect for the palace Khawarnaq

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shahîd (1986), p. 633
  2. ↑ Bosworth (1999), p. 75
  3. ↑ for details on Nu'man's visit to Symeon, see Shahîd (1989), pp. 161–164
  4. ↑ Bosworth (1999), pp. 80–81
  5. ↑ Bosworth (1999), p. 87

Sources

  • Bosworth, C. E., ed. (1999). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume V: The Sāsānids, the Byzantines, the Lakhmids, and Yemen. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-4355-2.
  • Shahîd, Irfan (1986). "Lakhmids". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume V: Khe–Mahi. Leiden and New York: BRILL. pp. 632–634. ISBN 90-04-07819-3.
  • Shahîd, Irfan (1989). Byzantium and the Arabs in the fifth century. Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 0-88402-152-1.
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