Cenmar

Senemar or Sanamar (pronounced "Sinimmār" in Arabic: سِنِمَّار) was a legendary Byzantine architect who is said to have built the Khawarnaq Palace (Arabic: الخورنق) on the request of the Lakhmid king, Al-Nu'man I, in the fifth century. His story has inspired the Persian and Arabic proverb, "Senemar’s compensation" or "Senemar’s Reward" (juzʾ Sinimmār), expressing a situation where one does good work but is instead punished or given an unfair or too small reward.

The story of Senemar is an edifying moral tale found in many stories in the Arabic-Islamic literature, the most well-known sources for his life being Al-Jahiz, Al-Tabari, and Al-Isfahani. These sources all agree that Senemar constructed the castle Khawarnaq on request of the king, and that he was also executed by the king afterwards. However, they present contradictory accounts on the other details surrounding Senemar's construction of Khawarnaq and death, such as the reason why the king had Senemar executed, and about how Senemar constructed the castle. While all accounts are considered legendary, the version by Al-Jahiz is the less moralized and exaggerated, and so may be the earliest.