01 · Original text
Late Sabaic
Ancient South ArabianComplete surviving text
Normalized Unicode reading from the cited edition; editorial brackets and uncertain readings are retained.
Scholarly transliteration
b-ḫyl w-[r]dʾ w-rḥ— mt Rḥmnn w-ms¹— ḥ-hw w-rḥ [q]ds¹ s¹ṭrw ḏn ms³ndn ʾn ʾbrh ʿzl— y mlkn ʾgʿzyn rmḥs³ | z-b-Ymn mlk((Zbymn)) S¹bʾ w-ḏ-R— ydn w-Ḥḍrmwt w-Ymnt | w-ʾʿrb-hmw Ṭwdm w-Thm— t w-s¹ṭrw ḏn ms³ndn k-q— s¹d w-hḫlf b-gzmn Yzd bn Kbs²t ḫlft-hmw ḏ-s¹— tḫlfw ʿly Kdt w-dʾ kn l-hw ḫlftn w-qs¹d w-ʿm-hw ʾqwl S¹bʾ ʾs¹ḥrn Mrt w- Ṯmmt w-Ḥns²m w-Mrṯdm w-Ḥ— nfm ḏ-Ḫll w-ʾzʾnn ʾqwl— n Mʿdkrb bn S¹myfʿ w-Hʿn w-ʾḫwt-hw bny ʾs¹lm w-k-ʾ— s¹yw Grh ḏ-Zbnr yʾfqn b-qh | [m]lkn b-Ms²rqn w-hrg-hw w-s¹ḥt— [w] mṣnʿt Kdr w-Yzd gmʿ ḏ-hṭʿ- hw bn Kdt w-ḥrb Ḥḍrmwt w- ʾḫḏ Mznm hgn ʾḏmryn w-ʿ— d ʿbrn w-wṣḥ-hmw ṣrḫn w-s²t— [ʾ]w w-gmʿw ʾgys²-hmw Ḥbs²t | [w-]Ḥmyrm b-ʾʾlfm b-wrḫ ḏ-Qy— [ẓ]n ḏ-l-s¹bʿt w-ḫms¹y w-s¹ṯ mʾtm → w-s²tʾw w-wrdw mqly S¹bʾ w-s²ʾ— mw bn Ṣrwḥ ʿ— ly Nbṭm ʿdy ʿb— rn w-k-wṣḥw Nb— ṭm ḏkyw s¹rw— t-hmw Kdr ʾlw | w-Lmd w-Ḥmyrm | w-ḫlyf-hmw Wṭh w-ʿwdh ḏy Gdnm w- wṣḥ-hmw Yzd b-N— bṭm w-hʿd-hmw yd- hw qdmy ḏkyn s¹r— wytn w-k-wṣḥ-hm— w ṣrḫm bn S¹bʾ k- ṯbr ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) w-ʿwdn w-Ḫbs²m w-mḍrft ḏ-ʾfn b-wrḫ ḏ-Mḏr— [ʾ]n ḏ-l-s¹bʿt w-bʿd-n wṣḥ-hmw ḏn ʿhdn | hqdmw brdnn brṯ ydnn ʿrbn ʾlht dʾ gbʾw ʿm Yzd w- k-kl-hmw hʿdw ʾyd- hmw w-rhn-hmw b-brd— [nn] w-s¹rwytn ḏ-hḏ— [kyw] Kdr qrnw ʾqwl— n ʾlht qs¹dw w-ml— kn ḏky ʿẓtm ʿly ʾs²ʿbn l-ḥrrtm w- ms¹rm w-grbtm w-b— rʾm w-ḫfgm w-nhmt → w-ṣhrm l-ʿḏbn ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) w-ʿ— wdn w-mṯbrtn ḏ-b-Mrb w-h— wʿd-hmw b-wrḫn ḏ-Ṣrbn ḏ-l- s¹bʿt w-bʿd-n ḏk— yw ʿẓtn w-dn ʿr— bn ʿdyw hgrn M— rb w-qd s¹w bʿt Mrb k-b-hw qs¹s¹m ʾb-ms¹tl-hw w- bn-hw yfʿw ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) w-ḥfrw ṯw | wṣḥw ʿrn w-bʿlw ʿrn l-hwṯ— rn ʿwdn w-k-w— ḍʿn l-hwṯrn ʿw— dn kn ḍllm w-ʿw— s¹m b-ʾs²ʿbn w-hgrn w-k-l rʾyw k- ḫny ḍlln ʿly ʾs²ʿbn ʾḏnw l-hm— w l-ʾḥbs²-hmw w-ʾḥmr-hmw w- bʿd-n ḏ-ʾḏnw b-ʾs²ʿbn wrdw | ʾqwln ʾlht tṣnʿw b-Kdr w-k- wṣḥw s¹-mlkn ʿm s¹rwtn ʾlht hḏkyw l-qrn-hmw w-hʿdw ʾyd-hm— w mlkn w-bn-hw gbʾ mlkn ʿdy h— grn Mrb bn ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) w-ʾqwln ʾlht kn— w ʾlmtm (ḏ)t bn-hmw ʾks¹m ḏ-Mʿh— r bn mlkn w-Mrgzf ḏ-Ḏrnḥ w- ʿdl ḏ-Fys² w-ḏ-(Ṯ)wlmn w-ḏ-S²ʿbn w- ḏ-Rʿn w-ḏ-Hmdn w-ḏ-Klʿn w-ḏ-Mhdm w- ḏ-Ṯt w-ʿls¹m ḏ-Yzʾn w-ḏ-Ḏbyn w-kb— r Ḥḍrmwt w-ḏ-Qrnt w-k-wṣḥ-<h> m— w mḥs²kt ngs²yn w-wṣḥ-hmw mḥs²kt mlk Rmn w-tnblt mlk Frs¹ w-rs¹l Mḏrn w-rs¹— l Ḥrṯm bn Gblt w-rs¹l ʾbkrb bn Gblt w-k-bʿd-n ḏ-tryd ḍll— n b-ḥmd Rḥmnn wrdw ʾs²ʿbn ḥg b-ʿẓt-hmw qdmtn s²tʾ-hmw | ʿly mwʿd-hmw ʾḫrn w-k-wṣḥw ʾs²ʿbn b-mdt ḏ-Dʾwn ʾḫrtn | w-k-ʾs¹yw-hmw ʾs²ʿbn br-hmw ʿḏ— bw ḏ-ṯbr bn ʿwdn ḏ-tqh Yʿfr → b-S¹bʾ w-ʾqwln ʾ— lht knw ʿm mlk— n w-nẓr-hmw w-k-ʿ— ḏb-hw bn tbʿl ʿ— rn ʿdy s²qrm w-k-ḏ-w— zʾw b-qdm ʿwdn q— s²bnm ḏ-tqhw b-ʾs²— ʿbn ḫms¹ w-ʾrbʿy | ʾmm ṭlm w-ḫms¹ w- ṯlṯy ʾmm rymm w-ʾ— rbʿt ʿs²r ʾmm rḥ— bm grbm w-ḥrrw | ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) w-ms¹r-hw w-s²— ṣn-hw w-hqs²bw ḏhb Ḫbs²m ġyr ʾqdmn w- nmry Mflgm w-k-ḏ- rzʾw bn ywmn ḏ-b-h— w yfʿn l-ġzw-hmw w-qds¹ bʿtn w-ʿwd— n w-ʿrmn((ʿrmn)) ḫms¹y ʾʾlf— m w-ṯmn mʾtm w-s¹dṯ— m dqqm w-s¹ṯt w-ʿs²— ry ʾʾlfm tmrm | b-qntn Ydʿʾl w-ṭ— bḫm ṯlṯt ʾʾlfm ḏbyḥm w-bqrm w-q— ṭntm ṯty mʾtm w-s¹b— ʿt ʾʾlfm qṭntm w-ṯlṯ mʾtm ʾʾblm s¹qym ġrbbm w-fṣym w-ʾḥd ʿs²r ʾʾlfm ʾl[.]— ḥlb s¹qym ḏ-tmrm w-k[ml]— w mqḥ-hmw b-ṯmny[t w-ḫ]— ms¹y ymtm w-qf[lw] b-ʾḥd ʿs²r ʾw[rḫ]— m b-wrḫ ḏ-Mʿn ḏ-l- ṯmnyt w-ḫms¹y w-s¹— ṯ mʾtm
02 · Translation
English translation
1–27
With the power, the aid, and the mercy of Rḥmnn, of his Messiah and of the Holy Spirit. Have written this inscription I, Abraha, ʿzly, the Ethiopian king rmḥs³ zbymn, king of Sabaʾ, ḏu-Raydān, Ḥaḍramawt and Ymnt, their nomads in Ṭwdm and in Thmt. He wrote this inscription after did rebel and violate his vow Yzd ibn Kbs²t, the governor whom he had appointed for Kdt, when it did not have a governor. He rebelled and with him the ʾqwl of Sabaʾ, the ʾṣḥrn: Mrt, Ṯmmt, Ḥns²m, Mrṯdm and Ḥnfm ḏ-Ḫll and the ʾzʾnn, the ʾqwl: Mʿdkrb ibn S¹myfʿ and Hʿn and his brothers, the sons of ʾs¹lm. When he (Abraha) sent Grh ḏ-Zbnr (?) to subject Ms²rqn to the authority of the king, they (the rebels) killed him and they laid siege to the fortress Kdr. Yzd mustered those of Kdt who were obedient to him and waged war on Ḥaḍramawt, captured Mznm, the nobleman ʾḏmryn (?), then he came back to ʿbrn. When the appeal for aid reached him (Abraha), he entered into hostilities (?) and assembled his armies: the Abyssinians and ḥimyarites by the thousands in the month ḏ-Qyẓn of the year six hundred and fifty-seven.
28–50
He entered into hostilities (?) and descended the two passes of Sabaʾ, then he marched north of Ṣrwḥ toward Nbṭm in (the region ? of) ʿbrn. When he had reached Nbṭm, he sent his soldiers to Kdr: ʾlw, Lmd, Ḥmyrm and his generals: Wṭh and ʿwdh (the two) of the lineage of Gdnm. Yzd joined him at Nbṭm and he renewed his vow of allegiance toward him before he (Abraha) sent the soldiers. The appeal to come to the aid of Sabaʾ reached him when the dam, the anchoring wall Ḫbs²m and the sluice gates of the large water distribution system (?) were destroyed in the month ḏ-Mḏrʾn of the year seven. After this message had reached him, he sent messengers so that the bedouins who had not returned with Yzd would submit themselves.
51–61
Then they all made a vow of allegiance and gave hostages to the messengers, while the soldiers whom he had sent to Kdr besieged the ʾqwl who had revolted. Then the king sent a summons to the tribes to seal up [the breaches], collect earth, make the facing in dressed stones, to construct in masonry, ḫfgm, make a facing in trimmed polished stone (?) apply the plaster, restore to a sound state the dam, the anchoring wall and the damage that had been done at Mārib.
62–67
He fixed a rendezvous with them for the month ḏ-Ṣrbn of the year seven. After he had sent out the summons and the bedouins submitted themselves, he returned to the city of Mrb and celebrated Mass in the church of the Mrb because there was a priest there, the father of the community (?).
68–75
From there he took charge of the dam and dug until he reached bedrock and excavated the rock to put in the foundations of the anchoring wall. After they had laid the foundations of the anchoring wall the plague arrived among the tribes and in the city. When he (Abraha) saw that the plague caused numerous victims among the tribes, he allowed them to depart, his Abyssinians and his ḥimyarites.
76–96
After he let the tribes leave, the ʾqwl who had entrenched themselves in Kdr, descended. They reached the king with the expeditionary force sent to fight against him and they vowed allegiance to the king. Then the king returned from the dam to the town of Mrb with the ʾqwl who made up the entourage (?) of his son (or: who had gathered around (?) his son) ʾks¹m ḏ-Mʿhr the son of the king and Mrgzf ḏ-Ḏrnḥ, ʿdl ḏ-Fys², ḏ-(Ṯ)wlmn, ḏ-S²ʿbn, ḏ-Rʿn, ḏ-Hmdn, ḏ-Klʿn, ḏ-Mhdm and ḏ-Ṯt, ʿls¹m ḏ-Yzʾn and ḏ-Ḏbyn, the kbr of Ḥaḍramawt and ḏ-Qrnt. Following this the ambassador of Negus and the ambassador of Rome arrived at his court, as well as the diplomatic mission of the king of Persia, the envoy of Mḏrn, the envoy of Ḥrṯm son of Gblt and the envoy of ʾbkrb son of Gblt. After the plague had subsided thanks to Rḥmnn, the tribes descended in accordance with his first summons which he had made at their second rendezvous. The tribes arrived during the last ḏ-Dʾwn.
97–132
After the tribes had sent him their wheat, they repaired what had been destroyed of the anchoring wall which Yʿfr had built with Sabaʾ and the ʾqwl who had been with the king and his noblemen. He repaired them from the foundations excavated in the rock to the summit. He reinforced in front of the anchorage wall qs²bnm (?) which he completed with the tribes [and which measured ?] forty-five cubits in length, thirty-five cubits in height and fourteen cubits in width in dressed stone. He sealed the dam, piled up the earth, lined with rough stones the canal for the overflow of (?) Ḫbs²m except for the part in front and the overflow channels of Mflgm. He disbursed from the day in which he took charge of this task until the celebration of the Mass in the church (the setting to rights of the) anchoring wall and of the dam, fifty thousand eight hundred and six (?) (measures) of flour, twenty-six thousand (measures) of dates in measures of Ydʿʾl; the meat of three thousand heads of cattle and cows, seven thousand two hundred heads of small cattle, three hundred camel (loads) of drink (of date wine (?), of wine made of raisins (?)) eleven thousand measures (amphoras ?) of date wine (?). He had completed his work in fifty-eight days and he returned
133–136
after eleven months. In the month ḏ-Mʿn of the year six hundred and fifty-eight.
DASI / CSAI, CSAI; line breaks joined and evident spelling errors corrected. Record data: CC BY 4.0.