Dhu Shanatir

Dhu Shanatir, full name Lakhni'ah Yanuf Dhu Shanatir (Arabic: لخنيعة ينوف ذو شناتر) was a semi-legendary Himyarite king who ruled Yemen for at least 27 years. A usurper to the throne who was unrelated to the royal family of Himyar, Dhu Shanatir has sometimes been identified with the Aksumite vassal over Yemen, Ma'dikarib Ya'fur.

Names His epithet Dhu Shanatir means "The Man with Earrings" in Arabic. However, Ibn Hisham disagreed and stated that the word Shanatir means "fingers" in the Himyaritic language. Dhu Shanatir is sometimes romanized as Zu Shenatir. The name Lakhni'ah Yanuf is a common name amongst the Himyarite kings; a Himyarite prince and son of the king Sharhabil Yakkuf held the same name. A second Lakhni'ah Yanuf is also visible in inscriptions from the court during the reign of Marthad'ilan Yanuf. Reign According to the Arab historians, Lakhni'ah Yanuf Dhu Shanatir took power in at least 490 CE following a period of internal dissent caused by the death of the last Himyarite king Sharhabil Ya'fur. His rule was described as cruel and oppressive, earning him the hatred of the local population. Dhu Shanatir was known to have been extremely rude and vile mannered towards the remaining Himyarite princes. His rule ended around 517 CE when Zur'ah (the real name of Dhu Nuwas, according to the Arab historians) stabbed him to death. The historians Franz Altheim and Ruth Stehl, in their work Die Araber in der alten Welt, resolved this issue by proposing the theory that Ma'dikarib Ya'fur was merely a regnal name Lakhni'ah Yanuf Dhu Shanatir took up when he usurped the throne.