Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Names
Western, Eastern, Syriac, and Arabic lists — why the names of the Sleepers are never identical.
01 · Why the Names Differ
Multiple manuscript traditions
The Seven Sleepers story circulated in Greek, Syriac, Latin, Armenian, Coptic, Arabic, and other languages. Each tradition developed its own list of names. Some versions even speak of eight young men. The Qur’an deliberately leaves the number and the names open, saying that only God knows their exact number.
02 · Western (Latin) Tradition
Common medieval list
Gregory of Tours transmits a different set: Achillides, Diomedes, Diogenus, Probatus, Stephanus, Sambatus, and Quiriacus.
03 · Eastern (Greek / Byzantine) Tradition
Common Eastern list
04 · Islamic and Syriac Lists
Arabic and Syriac forms
Classical Muslim authors (e.g., al-Ṭabarī, al-Damīrī) preserve Arabic forms derived from the Syriac and Greek names, among them Yamlīḥā (Yamlikha), Maksimilīnā, Marnūš, and others. Syriac versions frequently speak of eight youths rather than seven.
Qur’anic Approach
Surah Al-Kahf does not name the Companions of the Cave and explicitly states that their number is known only to God (18:22). This deliberate openness distinguishes the Islamic presentation from the detailed Christian name-lists.