Decapitation and Resurrection in Nasir Khusraw and the Yemen Messiah

Abstract This article explores the relationship between two tales from the Arabian peninsula in the high middle ages, in both of which the protagonist declares that he will prove his identity by coming back to life after being decapitated. One is the tale of Bu-Saʿid of Lahsa in Nasir Khusraw’s Book of Travels (11th cent.), and the other is the tale of the Yemen messiah as told by Maimonides.