Abibaal

Abibaal (Phoenician: 𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤁𐤏𐤋, lit. "My father is Baal") was an ancient Phoenician king of Tyre during the 10th century BC. He is primarily known as the founder of a new royal dynasty and, more importantly, as the father of the renowned Hiram I, who formed a significant alliance with the Israelite kings David and Solomon.

The majority of historical information known about Abibaal comes from the writings of the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, who cited the earlier Phoenician historian Menander of Ephesus. These sources confirm that Abibaal preceded his son Hiram on the throne of Tyre. His reign is estimated to have ended around 981 or 980 BC. The exact length of his reign and the identity of his predecessors are not specified in the surviving texts.

There are also references to an "Abibaal" in an inscription found in Byblos (modern-day Lebanon), which is on the base of a throne for a statue of the Egyptian Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Shishak), dating from around 935 BC. This Abibaal was likely a different contemporary ruler, the King of Byblos, who was a vassal of the Egyptian pharaoh. The King Abibaal of Tyre, however, is mainly remembered for establishing the powerful dynasty that solidified Tyre's status as a dominant Phoenician city-state and trading empire.