Ancient Arabia

**Ancient Arabia** takes place from 500-1000 AD, during the Medieval period of Europe. It is one of the many eras featured in Season 4.

**\*NOTE:** Any representation of religious figures on this page are written in such a way as to pay respect to their faith.**\***

## History

Many things happened during this time, including the formation of the religion of Islam, takes place and changes the Arabian Peninsula forever.

### **Note Worthy Events**

**500** - The Byzantine state finishes many treaties with several nomadic tribes. They will pay tribute to the Arabian empire and its military in exchange for the ability to settle and farm agricultural lands in Arabia.

**517-537** - Kaleb Ell Asbeba (later named Saint Elesboam of Aksum [modern Ethiopia]) conquers Himyar after recieving a request of Emperor Justinian I, emperor of the Byzantine empire. The Byzantines didn't supply troops to the effort but did give ships. This region would later become part of the Monophysite church before converting to Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet, Muhammad.

**Around 550** - The great Ma'rib Dam, build by the Saba kingdom in the 6th Century BC, collapses and many agricultural gardens in Southern Arabia dry up.

**570** - Muhammad is born. He is the last in the line of Judeo-Christian prophets.

**610** - Muhammad has his first revelation from the Archangel, Gabriel, and begins preaching in Mecca.

**622** - Muhammad's emigration, called a *hijra*, from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) with his followers began the Islamic Era in Arabia. Muhammad's home in Medina becomes a center for the Muslim community, and became the prototype for the Mosque, the house of worship for those of the Islamic faith.

**632** - Muhammad passes. Most of the Arabian Peninsula is conquered.

**632-661** - Four caliphs, known as the Rightly Guided, succeed, and under their command, the Arab armies carry Islam from the Arabian Peninsula to the shores of the Mediterranean and Eastern Iran. The Byzantine empire lose Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. They also manage to take Iraq and Iran, which was the heart of the Sasanian empire.

**661** - ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, and last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, is assassinated and Mu'awiya, the former governor of Syria, takes control, establishing the Umayyad caliphate. It is known as the first Islamic dynasty. ‘Ali’s death triggers political and religious factionalism, leading to the development of Shi‘a, a sect of Islam that recognizes the ‘Alid line of Muhammad as caliphs.

**661-750** - Despite the transfer of power from Arabia to Syria, Mecca and Medina continued to be seen as the Holiest Cities of Islam.

**706-710** - The Mosque of Medina, the former house of Muhammad, is enlarged and refurbished. Additions include a prayer niche (emphasizing the wall facing Mecca), four minarets at the corners of the building for the call to prayer, and marble paneling and mosaics for the walls comparable to the almost contemporary Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and Mosque of Damascus.

**750-1000** - The Abbasid caliphate begins. Mecca and Medina still receive large donations from Islamic followers. The annual pilgrim caravan also contributes to the prosperity of the Holy Cities of Islam. At the same time, Yemeni textiles, long recognized for their fine quality, maintain their reputation and are in high demand by the Abbasid elite, including the caliphs themselves. Items of San'a and Aden are highly important in the east-west textile trade.

## Trivia

* The Arabian Peninsula is made up of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.