Armah
Encyclopedia
Armah was a king of Axum. He is primarily known through the coins minted during his reign, although it has been suggested as long ago as 1895 that he was identical to Ashama ibn Abjar
, who gave shelter to the Muslim
emigrants around 615-6 at Axum
.
Munro-Hay states that either he or Gersem
were the last Axumite kings to issue coins. In either case, no gold coins of Armah have been found, and Munro-Hay speculates that "he had accepted that there was no purpose in producing them, as his kingdom was by now at least in part cut off from the Byzantine
trade network."
Armah's silver coins have an unusual reverse, showing a structure with three crosses, the middle one gilded, that Munro-Hay quotes W.R.O. Hahn as suggesting that this refers to the Holy Sepulchre, as a reference to the Persian capture of Jerusalem in 614; if this is correct, it provides a date for Armah.
Ashama ibn Abjar
According to Arabic sources, Aṣḥama ibn Abjar was Emperor or al-Najashi of Aksum at the time of Muhammad, and gave refuge to several Muslims in the Kingdom of Aksum. The term "al-Najashi" has the variant al-Negashi; it corresponds to the ancient Aksumite title Negus, with the variant Negash...
, who gave shelter to the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
emigrants around 615-6 at Axum
Axum
Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
.
Munro-Hay states that either he or Gersem
Gersem
Gersem was a king of Axum in northeastern Africa. He is primarily known through the coins minted during his reign.Munro-Hay states that either he or Armah were the last Axumite kings to issue coins. In either case, no gold coins of Armah have been found, and Gersem is assumed to be the last coin...
were the last Axumite kings to issue coins. In either case, no gold coins of Armah have been found, and Munro-Hay speculates that "he had accepted that there was no purpose in producing them, as his kingdom was by now at least in part cut off from the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
trade network."
Armah's silver coins have an unusual reverse, showing a structure with three crosses, the middle one gilded, that Munro-Hay quotes W.R.O. Hahn as suggesting that this refers to the Holy Sepulchre, as a reference to the Persian capture of Jerusalem in 614; if this is correct, it provides a date for Armah.