Karib'il Watar should not be confused with Karibi-ilu.
Karibʾīl Watār son of Dhamarʿalī (Sabaean: {{script|Sarb| , romanized:, sometimes distinguished as Sabaean mukarrib who reigned in the middle of 7th century BCE (ca. 685-650 BCE).
The royal inscriptions of Sennacherib (685 BCE) mention the tribute brought by Karibi-ilu king of Saba, who identified as Karibʾīl Watār son of Dhamarʿalī, mukarrib of Sabaʾ, based on the account of he reign found in the temple of Almaqah in Sirwah. he was town builders who fortified cities, and gained control over most of South Arabia thanks to a network of tribal alliances, and extensive conquests.
The name Karibʾīl (,), variously transliterated, is probably Sabaean for "blessed by God", in the case of the early Sabaeans it could referring to the idol Almaqah. It may also mean "obedient to God" or "obedient to the god".
The name Watar (,) is of uncertain meaning but appears in numerous regnal names in the area.
Karib'il Watar, the son of Dhamarʿalī I, who ruled in the first half of the 7th century BCE. He is mentioned in one of the longest and most important Sabaean inscriptions which is located on the Great Temple of Almaqah in Sirwah 40 kilometers west of Marib.[1]
The inscription in Sirwah which is composed of twenty lines describes the military campaigns led by Karib'il Watar. From the first line of the inscription, it seems the author was dazzled by his numerous extensive victories.
Karib'il started his campaigns by attacking western lands of Ma'rib, killing and capturing thousands of his enemies. Then he focused his attention on conquering of south-western sea ports and lands in order to weaken the Kingdom of Awsan.
He continued his advance to reach the lands of Awsan, which was controlling the southern regions up to shores of the Red Sea. Karib'il ordered his soldiers to shed their swords on Awsan's people, kill and capture thousands of them, and burn all their cities all the way to the sea.
Minaeans pose the next dangerous opponent. Therefore, he attacked their cities such as "Nestum" (Nasha'an) and burned them. Afterwards, he besieged the city of "Nescus" (Nashaq) for three years. The result of the siege was a humiliating defeat for Minaeans and the annexation of all their arable lands and dams, and a tribute have been imposed to their idol Almaqah.
The last ever campaign was to north of Al Jawf near Najran. The outcome of the aggression was a landslide in which Karib'il killed five thousand, enslaved twelve thousand children, and seized more than two hundred thousand cattle.[2]
A number of smaller inscriptions tell us about Karib'il Watar include:[3]