Yaqub-Har

Who is Yaqub-Har?

Meruserre Yaqub-Har, also known as Yak-Baal was a pharaoh of Egypt during the 17th or 16th century BCE. As he lived Egypt's fragmented Second Intermediate Period, it is difficult to date his reign precisely.

While he is occasionally described as a member of the Hyksos based 15th dynasty, the Danish specialist Kim Ryholt has suggested that Yaqub-Har was actually one of the last kings of the 14th Dynasty. This is because while the early Hyksos kings are known to have used the title heka-khawaset in their reigns such as Sakir-Har or Khyan--at least early in the latter king's reign before he chose the prenomen Seuserenre. Later Hyksos kings such as Apophis simply adopted a prenomen—like the 14th dynasty kings. Yaqub-Har himself always used a prenomen or royal name, Meruserre, in his reign which might suggest that he was rather a member of the Asiatic 14th dynasty which preceded the Hyksos. Meruserre means 'strong is the love of Re.' The 14th Dynasty of Egypt was an Asiatic dynastic which ruled in the Delta region—like the Hyksos. Ryholt has suggested that the name Yaqub-Har had a West Semitic origin. Unlike the extremely well attested 14th dynasty king Sheshi who is attested by a massive 396 seals, Yaqub-Har is only attested by a relatively modest 26 seals.