Nashwan al-Himyari

نشوان الحميري (Known as "Judge Nashwan")

Yemeni Lexicographer, Judge, Poet, Author of Shams al-Ulum

Born c. 1100

Haydan (Sa'dah), Yemen

Passed Away 1178 Hawt, Yemen

Lifespan 78 years old

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Notice / Correction

"Where are the Himyarite kings who crowned their heads with gold? All have departed, leaving only their glorious deeds upon the stone."

Archival Overview

Eminent 12th-century Yemeni scholar, judge, and poet whose monumental multi-volume dictionary 'Shams al-Ulum' preserved South Arabian linguistics.

Biographical Record

Nashwan ibn Sa'id al-Himyari was born in northern Yemen and was a prominent prince, judge, and theologian who traced his lineage to the ancient Himyarite kings. Challenging the Zaydi imamate, he led independent territorial governance while producing monumental scholarly treatises on language, theology, and history.

Nashwan's masterpiece, Shams al-Ulum wa-Dawa' Kalam al-Arab min al-Kulum (The Sun of Knowledge and Medicine for the Wounds of Arab Speech), is a colossal linguistic encyclopedia that integrated classical Arabic with unique South Arabian Himyaritic vocabulary, botanical terms, and historical legends. His ode Al-Qasida al-Himyariyya remains an immortal epic of Yemeni historical memory.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Hawt Historical Cemetery
Sana'a, Yemen

                         GPS: 15.3500, 44.2000                    

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