KitÃÂb al-TëjÃÂni (Arabic: ÃÂêçè çÃÂêÃÂìçÃÂ) also known more commonly as The Book of Crowns on the Kings of Himyar, is a historical and biographical work by the Yemeni historian Wahb ibn Munabbih, an 8th AD century Israüiliyyat author. The book is also known as KitÃÂb al-TëjÃÂn li ma'rifati muluk al-zamÃÂn fi akhbar QahtÃÂn (The Book of Crowns, on the kings of yesteryear in the accounts of the QahtÃÂnites).
The book later transmitted by Ibn Hisham who also worked on the As-Sërah an-Nabawiyyah. Ibn Hisham reported that he acquired the book's narratives from 'Abd al-Mun'im ibn Idris.
The book focuses on biographies, as well as the genealogy and ancestry of the rulers of the Himyarite Kingdom.
Included in the book is a study of the genealogy of the descendants of Ham, son of Biblical Noah, which the book describe as progenitor of Habesha peoples or Ethiopian peoples. In this topic, Wahb also narrated the story of how the South Arabian king Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan had fought against the presence of Habesha peoples in the Arabian peninsula since the 6th century AD.
The book also discusses the identity of Dhu al-Qarnayn, whom is identified as being of Byzantine ancestry. However, Ibn Hisham also gives his own personal commentary stating that Dhu al-Qarnayn was one of the Tababi'ah (plural of Tubba', the ruling title of the Himyarites), with the name of Sa'b ibn al-Harith (otherwise known as Sa'b Dhu Marathid). Dhu al-Qarnayn is also attributed with the action of conquering parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
Ibn Hisham, who authored the commentaries of this book, also gave his own analysis that the name of Yemen were given from their primordial founder, Ya'rub ibn Qahtan, who is also known by his other name, "Yaman".
Modern historian Jan Retsö has suggested that the commentaries of Ibn Hisham have shown that there was interest from Muslim orthodoxy in his era to preserve the historiography of Yemeni tradition.
Modern historians have said that some entries and stories in the book, are, however, legendary in nature and may not reflect reality.
The book structures mainly examines the descendants of South Arabian patriarch Qahtan. Below is a list of kings mentioned in the book, in order: