Tag Archives: Yemen

Egypt: Another Ismaili Split, 1132-40

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ruth

The Fatimid dynasty always tried to combine pragmatic secular rule with idealistic religion. The Caliph/Imam was not only the war leader and ruler, he was also the holiest descendant of Ismail. We’ve already seen one major split among Ismailis, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History D: Crusades | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Egypt: Another Ismaili Split, 1132-40

Zayd’s Uprising, 740

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Ruth

I mentioned in the entry on Caliph al-Walid that he ordered a scholar descended from Ali to be poisoned, as his father had been also. This man, the fourth Shi’ite Imam, was known as al-Sajjad. He had many sons, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History B: the Umayyads | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Zayd’s Uprising, 740

The Ridda Wars of Apostasy, 632

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Ruth

After Fatimah died, Ali finally chose to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr as the Successor, or Caliph. It must have been very bitter, but time had passed and it was the new reality. To disrupt the new status quo and … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History B: the Umayyads | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Ridda Wars of Apostasy, 632

Letters of Foreign Policy

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Ruth

Medina under Muhammad had become a nascent Islamic city-state, with growing outside territories and alliances around coastal and central Arabia. But Muhammad felt that he had been given a vision of an even larger Islamic state that included Egypt, Syria, … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History A: the Prophet | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Letters of Foreign Policy

Exodus of the Marib Dam

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Ruth

For most of Arabia’s history (and prehistory), the Eastern region was oriented toward Persia, the Southern region was oriented toward Africa and Egypt, and the central desert was culturally different from both. But during the years before Muhammad’s birth, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History A: the Prophet | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Exodus of the Marib Dam

Saba: Kingdom of the Ma’rib Dam

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Ruth

The Hebrew Bible tell us that Solomon’s Iron Age kingdom grew rich enough that the Queen of Sheba traveled to Jerusalem to see it. It wasn’t a long journey, though in ancient times, every journey was long and dangerous. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History A: the Prophet | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Saba: Kingdom of the Ma’rib Dam

Arabia Felix in the Iron Age

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Ruth

The southern coast of Arabia is not much like the rocky zone in the north or the vast wilderness in the center. And in ancient times, it was even more different. It was probably settled by people moving across the … Continue reading →

Posted in Islam History A: the Prophet | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Arabia Felix in the Iron Age