Ar-Rayyan ibn al-Walid

Ar-Rayyān ibn al-Walīd (Arabic: الريان بن الوليد), also called Nahrāūs, is a legendary king from medieval Islamic lore who is said to have been one of the Amalekite rulers of Egypt.[1][2][3] According to the historians who transmitted stories of him, he was the king whom the biblical prophet Joseph served under.[1][2][4] Medieval Arab historians credited him with the construction of the Babylon Fortress.[5]

The name Ar-Rayyan is an Arabic male name which is derived from the similarly named gate of paradise in Islamic lore, where the pious who fasted a lot would enter on the Day of Resurrection. It has an alternative origin as a Persian name; being the plural form of the word Rāy which means "kings."[6]

Ar-Rayyan was reportedly the second of a line of Amalekite kings, succeeding his father who had conquered Egypt.[5][7][8] It is also related that before the arrival of Joseph, Ar-Rayyan was a formerly competent and wise ruler who became dominated by his passions and left the government to be handed to Potiphar.[7] After the imprisonment of Joseph, Ar-Rayyan had a dream which no one, not even the high priests, could interpret, except for Joseph who told him that a famine would be coming and advised him on how it could be prevented.[1][7] Impressed, the king made Joseph as his chief advisor and also became an adherent to the Judaic monotheism preached by Joseph.[1][9] Ar-Rayyan died of old age and was succeeded by his son Dārim, who, unlike his father, was an idolator and fell into tyranny.[7][8] An alternative version of the tradition states that Ar-Rayyan was succeeded by a king named Qabus, who was an idolator and a tyrant. Regardless, both traditions agree that the succeeding king was a stubborn tyrant.[10]

There have been attempts to identify Ar-Rayyan with historical figures. Egyptian historian and museum curator Ahmad Kamal identified Ar-Rayyan with the Hyksos ruler Khyan, basing his identification off the reading of Khyan's cartouche as Ne Re Ous, which, according to Kamal, was "strikingly similar" to Nahrāūs.[11] On the other hand, archeologist Hossam Abdolfotouh identifies him with Seti I from the Nineteenth Dynasty, while his son and successor Darim/Qabus is identified with Ramesses II, with the later Pharaoh of the Exodus being identified as Ramesses V instead.[12]

The Wadi El Rayan nature reserve in Fayoum is named after Ar-Rayyan ibn al-Walid, based on a legend where the king and his army sat down there to rest.[13][14]

A fictionalized version of Ar-Rayyan ibn al-Walid appears as a supporting character in the live-action Prophet Joseph television series, played by Iranian actor Rahim Norouzi.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir (1986-11-28). Brinner, William (ed.). Prophets and Patriarchs. The History of At-Tabari. Vol. 2. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0873959213.
  2. ^ a b Velikovsky, Immanuel (2009-10-01). From the Exodus to King Akhnaton. Ages in Chaos. Vol. 1. Paradigma Ltd. ISBN 1906833133.
  3. ^ Mas'udi (1861–1877). Barbier de Meynard, Charles (ed.). Les Prairies d’Or [Meadows of Golden] (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Impr. Impériale.
  4. ^ Davies, John (1672). The Egyptian History (1st ed.). Fleet Street, London: R. B. for W. Battersby.
  5. ^ a b Bouriant, Urban (1895). Casanova, Paul (ed.). Description historique et topographique de l'Egypte [Historical and topographical description of Egypt] (in French). France: E. Leroux.
  6. ^ Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892). A Comprehensive Persian–English Dictionary. W.H. Allen & Co. p. 567.
  7. ^ a b c d Carra de Vaux, Bernard (1984). Miquel, André (ed.). L'abrégé des merveilles [The Abridged Wonders] (in French). Paris: Sindbad. ISBN 9782727400950.
  8. ^ a b Murray, M.A. (1924). "Maqrizi's Names of the Pharaohs". Ancient Egypt. 2: 51–55.
  9. ^ Al-Bidāya wa l-Nihāya [The Beginning And The End] (in Arabic). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ibn Kathir. 2015. ISBN 9789953520841.
  10. ^ Fodor, A. (1975). "The Role of Fir'awn in Popular Islam". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 61: 238–240. doi:10.2307/3856508. ISSN 0307-5133.
  11. ^ Kamal, Ahmad (1903). "Notes sur la rectification des noms Arabes des anciens rois d'Égypte accompagnée d'une notice explicative de quelques coutumes". Bulletin de l’Institut Égyptien. 4: 114–115.
  12. ^ Abdolfotouh, Hossam (2023-07-28). "Location of Pharoah of Exodus in Suez Gulf and the New Kingdom's scenario: An Interdisciplinary Approach". Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. 17 (3): 128–131.
  13. ^ Decken, Yehia El (2023-08-01). "Wadi El Rayan Lake and Waterfall - Activities and Attractions". Holiday Tours Travel Agency. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  14. ^ Fayoum, Explore (2013-12-15). "Wadi Rayan National Park". Explore Fayoum. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  15. ^ "چهار میلیارد نفر در 90 کشور جهان سریال حضرت یوسف را به تماشا نشستند - تسنیم". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
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