Abraha Cathedral in Yemen
This is a walled enclosure in Sana’a, Yemen, where Abraha al-Ashra built an impressive cathedral. Abraha was the Christian ruler of Yemen, who wanted to transfer the Arab pilgrimage from the Kaaba to his cathedral. He went with the army (which included elephants) to destroy the Kaaba, but on the outskirts of Mecca was struck by a hail of stones carried by birds. This story is mentioned in the Only Qur’an in Surah Al-fil, ( Quran 105).
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ الْفِيلِ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the People of the Elephant? (105:1)
أَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ كَيْدَهُمْ فِي تَضْلِيلٍ
Did He not make their plan go wrong? (105:2)
وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ
He sent against them swarms of birds. (105:3)
تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ
Throwing at them rocks of baked clay. (105:4)
فَجَعَلَهُمْ كَعَصْفٍ مَأْكُولٍ
Leaving them like chewed-up leaves. (105:5)