UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
King Kaleb's maritime expedition
Kaleb or Elle Atsbaha, son of Tazena, was the most famous emperor
of his time, perhaps comparable to Ezana. One of the reasons for his fame
was his maritime expedition which is related below.
After the massacre of +523, a nobleman named Umayyah managed to
get back to Aksum and told King Kaleb and the bishop what had happened
to the Christians. Other Christians escaped to Constantinople to inform
the emperor Justin. Through the Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria, Justin
sent a letter to Kaleb urging him to avenge the bloodshed of Christians.
We can imagine the effect that the news of the Christian massacre had
on the two emperors. However, as we know, the country of Saba and
Himyar was linked more closely, ethnically and culturally, to the empire
of Aksum than to that of Byzantium. So King Kaleb hastily assembled
an army that would guarantee victory. He is said to have obtained 120000
men and 60 warships 24 from the emperor Justin. 25 However, other authors
state that he left with his own ships which were anchored at Adulis, and
that his army numbered no more than 30000 soldiers. 26
Traditional sources report that the king, after concluding his military
preparations, went to the convent of Abba Penteleon - one of the Nine
Saints who was still alive - to ask for the saint's blessing for himself
and for the success of the battle upon which he was about to engage. The
old monk promised him victory, and the king left for the shores of
Gabazas, near Adulis, where intense preparations for war were being made.
Towards the end of May +525, Kaleb embarked and set sail with all
his ships for south Arabia where the Himyarite king awaited them. In
fact, when the king and his army arrived they found the enemy port
blocked by chains and guarded by soldiers ready to defend themselves.
Without waiting for the end of the battle, King Kaleb looked for a more
propitious place to land his troops. By chance, one of the family of Dhu-
Nuwas, who had been captured in battle, told them of such a place and
the king, accompanied by some twenty boats, succeeded in disembarking.
This enabled him to put the rest of the king of Himyar's soldiers to flight.
It was while the main part of the contingent continued to fightthat Dhu-
Nuwas fell into King Kaleb's hands, with seven of his companions. Kaleb,
wishing to avenge the shedding of Christian blood, unhesitatingly killed
him on the spot.
When the battle ended, the Christian troops invaded firstthe town of
Tafar (Zafar) and then Najran. In their turn, the Christian soldiers
laid waste the land and massacred the enemies of their religion. During
24. These figuresare rightly considered inaccurate by N. Pigulevskaya, 1969, p. 243.
25. Other views concerning the origin of this fleetare to be found in N. Pigulevskaya,
1969, p. 243.
26. A. Coquot, 1965, pp. 223-5.
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