siege, medieval

Siege of Najran

Name: Siege of Najran
Location: Najran, Saudi Arabia

Siege of Najran was a siege conducted in AD 523 at Najran, in what is now Saudi Arabia; it lasted about 2 years. It was part of the Byzantine–Sassanian Wars, which ran from AD 285 to AD 628. The recorded result: Madhiji/Harithi Victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

FoughtAD 523lasted about 2 years

WhereNajran, Saudi Arabia17.492N, 44.132E

OutcomeMadhiji/Harithi Victory

BelligerentsHimyarite KingdomagainstBanu al-Harith; Kingdom of Aksum; Madhhij; Byzantine Empire; Ghassanids

Part ofByzantine–Sassanian WarsAksumite invasion of Himyar

Record

Date	AD 523 (year precision) to AD 525
Place	Najran, Saudi Arabia 17.492N, 44.132E
Kind	Siege, medieval
Casualties and losses	Unknown	Thousands killed; Ry 508 (Qyẓn 633 ḥim / June 523 CE): 13,000 killed, 9,500 captured, 280,000 livestock seized; Ry 507 (Mḏrʾn 633 ḥim / Jul–Sep 523 CE): 14,000 killed, 11,000 captured, 290,000 livestock seized; Ja 1028 (Mḏrʾn 633 ḥim / Jul–Sep 523 CE): 12,000 killed, 11,000 captured, 290,000 livestock seized>
Commanders	Yusuf Dhu Nuwas	Arethas of Najran Kaleb of Axum Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith Al-Harith ibn Jabalah Patriarch Timothy IV of Alexandria

The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Siege of Sanaa AD 570, 238 km S
Siege of Sanaa 1967, 238 km S
Battle of Zafar AD 632, 366 km S
Battle of Kunfuda Bay 1912, 372 km NW
Capture of Aden 1548, 531 km S

In the same war

After: Siege of Antioch AD 540

Siege of Najran is one of 128 engagements of the 6th century in the atlas and one of 86 in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q139553050, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Najran (523–525), revision 1385082366, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.