Abba-El I

Abba-El I
Great King of Yamhad
Reign	c. 1750 BC – c. 1720 BC. Middle chronology
Predecessor	Hammurabi I
Successor	Yarim-Lim II

Abba-El I (reigned c. 1750 BC – c. 1720 BC - Middle chronology ) was the king of Yamhad (Halab) succeeding his father Hammurabi I.

Hammurabi I left Yamhad a prosperous country, Abba-El reign was relatively peaceful and he maintained good commercial relations with Babylon, the main event of his reign was the rebellion of Zitraddu, governor of the city Irridu which belonged along with its district to Abba-el brother Yarim-Lim

A tablet discovered at Alalakh explains the circumstances which led to the forming of the kingdom of Alalakh; it revealed that Abba-El destroyed Irridu and compensated his brother by giving him Alalakh as a hereditary kingdom for his dynasty under the suzerainty of Aleppo but that it should be forfeited if Yarim-Lim or his descendents committed treason against Yamhad.

Abba-El took an oath upon himself not to confiscate his brother's new kingdom and that he might be cursed if he ever did. In return Yarim-Lim took an oath of loyalty to his brother specifying that if he or his descendents ever committed treason or spilled Abba-El secrets to another king, their lands would be forfeited.

The Hurrians influence seems clear during Abba-El's reign as he recalls the help given to him by the Hurrian Goddess Hebat.

Abba-El died in ca. 1720 BC and was succeeded by Yarim-Lim II, who most probably was his son, however Moshe Weinfeld believes that Yarim-Lim II was the same Yarim-Lim of Alalakh.

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