In 13th century Yemen, the Rasulid sultan al-Ashraf Umar (d. 1296) – the authorship is not yet completely established – wrote an astronomical and astrological handbook. In the first chapter, he introduces the zodiacal signs. The sultan discusses their figures and natures, as well as other objects and characteristics attributed to them, e.g. animals, plants, countries, and colours. At the first glance, it appears that al-Ashraf Umar provides standard information that other authors also described earlier in their astrological introductions, e. g. Abu Ma'shar (b. 787 (?)), al-Qabisi (fl. 10th c.), and Kushyar b. Labban (fl. 10th / 11th c.). In this paper, I will present a selection of the objects and characteristics that al-Ashraf Umar attributes to the zodiacal signs, and compare it with similar sections in astrological introductions. This comparison will allow learning more about the state of astrological knowledge of the sultan and in 13th century Yemen. It will shed light on the sources that al-Ashraf Umar used for his handbook to introduce the science of the stars to those who are not that familiar with this topic.