Robin (Christian Julien), Najrān En Arabie. La Ville Des 200 Martyrs Chrétiens: Histoire Et Archéologie Antiques Et Médiévales, Leiden, Brill ("Documenta Coranica; 5"), 2024, 495 p. ISBN 978-9004706309

Author

Christian Julien Robin, Ph.D. (1977), Docteur ès Lettres (1993), Member of the Institute, CNRS (France), is a historian of ancient Arabia and Ethiopia. He has directed several archaeological missions in Arabia and published on Judaism in Arabia.

Presentation

The Christians of Najrān are known by their martyrdom (November 523), described in Christian sources. According to Muslim tradition, the community was in relation with the polity of Medina, founded by Muḥammad in 622. Recent archeological discoveries attest this community in more details and bring substantial changes to our knowledge. Situated between Yemen and Medina, Najrān was not only an influential Christian community persisting until the 10th century, but has seen remarkable transformations. The Christians of Najrān underwent developments, some of which find an echo in the Qurʾān, the earliest layer of Arabic script and the Muslim tradition.