Harbi al-Himyari

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Harbi al-Himyari (حربي الحميري ), was an Arab scholar from Yemen, who lived between the 7th and 8th century. He is famous as the teacher of the Islamic alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan, whose is considered the Father of Chemistry.

References

• Eric John Holmyard, Makers of Chemistry. London: Oxford University Press, 1931

Biographical information about the Al Himyari (author of Kitāb ar-Rawḍ al-mi‘tār) is extremely limited

The Encyclopaedia of Islam refers to Himyari as a fakīh born in Magreb.

We do not know for certain the exact period in which Al Himyari lived - for instance T. Lewicki, states that al-Ḥimyarī died in 1494 while others claim Al Himyari died in 1326

Al-Himyari's Account

Al Himyari - who was practically unheard of in the west until 1975 - claims that the Arabs who invaded Malta in 870 – 1090 wiped out the 'entire' Maltese population, thereby annihilating any traces of a Punic inheritance in Malta .

Al Himyari also claims that Malta was rehabitated around the year 1050 AD by "Arabic-speaking" people - only 40 years before the Arabs themselves were defeated by Count Roger of Normandy.

Since Al Himyari was writing his account 3 or 4 centuries after the events had occurred - clearly he himself had no primary or direct information of these events and he must have relied on various sources - some of these sources may not only have been unreliable - they would also have been biased since the account is written by the conquerors.

Historical accounts written by many middle east historians often do not record negative events - not even major defeats in battle !

Ofcourse History is always recorded by the conquerors and to make matters worse neither the Phoenicians (Carthaginians) nor the Maltese were known for their history writing !

To compound matters further the general Arab view is to deny all things Phoencian in their history probably for religious reasons - so that even Lebanon the cradle of the Phoenicians belittles its Phoenician past.

be that as it may Scientific evidence collect in 2004 shows that nearly 60% of the maltese population carries the Y gene from the FNIEK = Phoenicians vide:- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature2/online_extra.html

I think we should now give Al Himyari's account the final burial it deserves.

Dr Frank Portelli MD FRCS(Ed)FRSM Malta

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