The Sulayhid dynasty ( ar, بَنُو صُلَيْح, Banū Ṣulayḥ, lit=Children of Sulayh) was an
Ismaili Shi'ite
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
Arab dynasty established in 1047 by
Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhi that ruled most of
historical Yemen at its peak. The Sulayhids brought to Yemen peace and a prosperity unknown since Himyaritic times. The regime was confederate with the
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
-based
Fatimid Caliphate, and was a constant enemy of the
Rassids
The Imams of Yemen and later also the Kings of Yemen were religiously consecrated leaders belonging to the Zaidiyyah branch of Shia Islam. They established a blend of religious and political rule in parts of Yemen from 897. Their imamate endured ...
- the
Zaidi Shi'ite
rulers of Yemen
A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines.
Variants
Rulers have long ...
throughout its existence. The dynasty ended with
Arwa al-Sulayhi
)
, name = Arwā bint Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Mūsā Aṣ-Ṣulayḥī
, other_names = ''As-Sayyidah Al-Ḥurrah'' () ''Al-Malikah Al-Ḥurrah'' ( ar, ٱلْمَلِكَة ٱلْحُرَّة or ...
affiliating to the
Taiyabi
Tayyibi Isma'ilism is the only surviving sect of the Musta'li branch of Isma'ilism, the other being the extinct Hafizi branch. Followers of Tayyibi Isma'ilism are found in various Bohra communities: Dawoodi, Sulaymani, and Alavi.
The Tayyibi ...
Ismaili sect, as opposed to the
Hafizi
Hafizi Isma'ilism ( ar, حافظية, Ḥāfiẓiyya or , ) was a branch of Musta'li Isma'ilism that emerged as a result of a split in 1132. The Hafizis accepted the Fatimid caliph Abd al-Majid al-Hafiz li-Din Allah () and his successors as imams ...
Ismaili sect that the other Ismaili dynasties such as the
Zurayids
The Zurayids (بنو زريع, Banū Zuraiʿ), were a Yamite Hamdani dynasty based in Yemen in the time between 1083 and 1174. The centre of its power was Aden. The Zurayids suffered the same fate as the Hamdanid sultans, the Sulaymanids and ...
and the
Hamdanids
The Hamdanid dynasty ( ar, الحمدانيون, al-Ḥamdāniyyūn) was a Twelver Shia Arab dynasty of Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib Christian tribe of Mesopotamia and Eastern A ...
adhered to.
Origins
The Sulayhids are from the
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
Yemeni clan of Banu Salouh, descended from the al-Hajour tribe, descended from the
Hashid
The Hashid ( ar, حاشد; Musnad: 𐩢𐩦𐩵𐩣) is a tribal confederation in Yemen. It is the second or third largest – after Bakil and, depending on sources, Madh'hij tribe, descended from the
Hamdanids
The Hamdanid dynasty ( ar, الحمدانيون, al-Ḥamdāniyyūn) was a Twelver Shia Arab dynasty of Northern Mesopotamia and Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib Christian tribe of Mesopotamia and Eastern A ...
.
Rise
The first
Isma'ili
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al- ...
missionaries,
Ibn Hawshab
Abu'l-Qāsim al-Ḥasan ibn Faraj ibn Ḥawshab ibn Zādān al-Najjār al-Kūfī ( ar, أبو القاسم الحسن ابن فرج بن حوشب زاذان النجار الكوفي ; died 31 December 914), better known simply as Ibn Ḥawshab, ...
and
Ali ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani
ʿAlī ibn al-Faḍl al-Jayshānī () was a senior Isma'ili missionary () from Yemen. In cooperation with Ibn Hawshab, he established the Isma'ili creed in his home country and conquered much of it in the 890s and 900s in the name of the hidden ...
, already appeared in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
in 881, thirty years before the establishment of the
Fatimid Caliphate. Their creed was subsequently disseminated among the mountain tribes in the early 10th century. During this period Ibn al-Fadl managed to conquer
San'a
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Govern ...
and the central highlands in 905, while Ibn Hawshab established himself at
Shibam Kawkaban
Shibam Kawkaban ( ar, شبام كَوْكَبَان, Shibām Kawkabān)
is a double town in Shibam Kawkaban District, Al Mahwit Governorate, Yemen, located 38 km west-northwest of Sanaa, the national capital. It consists of two distinct adjoin ...
. Nevertheless, this regime was beaten by the resurgent indigenous
Yu'firid dynasty
The Yuʿfirids ( ar, بنو يعفر, Banū Yuʿfir) were an Islamic Hemyariite dynasty that held power in the highlands of Yemen from 847 to 997. The name of the family is often incorrectly rendered as "Yafurids". They nominally acknowledged the ...
in 916, after Ibn al-Fadl's death in 915.
In spite of this setback the mission of the Fatimids continued. The Fatimid ''da'i'' (leader) in Yemen, Sulayman az-Zawahi, befriended a young man from the
mountainous region Haraz to the south-west of San'a,
Ali bin Muhammad as-Sulayhi (d. 1067 or possibly 1081). Ali was the son of a respected
Sunni chief but nevertheless susceptible to the doctrines and decrees of the Fatimids. In 1046, Ali was eventually converted to the Ismaili creed and was appointed ''khalifa'' within the ''da'wa'' (dissemination of the creed). In 1047 he gathered an armed force in Haraz and thus founded the Sulayhid dynasty (1047-1138). In the following years his regime managed to subdue all of Yemen. The ruler of the
Najahids
Najahid dynasty ( ar, بنو نجاح; Banū Najāḥ) was a slave dynasty of Abyssinian origin founded in Zabid in the Tihama (lowlands) region of Yemen around 1050 AD.
They faced hostilities from the Highlands dynasties of the time, chiefly ...
in the
Tihama
Tihamah or Tihama ( ar, تِهَامَةُ ') refers to the Red Sea coastal plain of the Arabian Peninsula from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Bab el Mandeb.
Etymology
Tihāmat is the Proto-Semitic language's term for 'sea'. Tiamat (or Tehom, in m ...
n lowland was poisoned in 1060 and his capital
Zabid
Zabid ( ar, زَبِيد) (also spelled Zabīd, Zabeed and Zebid) is a town with an urban population of around 52,590 people on Yemen's western coastal plain. It is one of the oldest towns in Yemen, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since ...
was taken by the Sulayhids. The first Sulayhid ruler conquered the whole of Yemen in 1062, and proceeded northwards to occupy the
Hejaz.
For a time, the Sulayhids appointed the
Emirs of Mecca
The Sharif of Mecca ( ar, شريف مكة, Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz ( ar, شريف الحجاز, Sharīf al-Ḥijāz, links=no) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and ...
.
Ali also controlled San'a since 1063, after bringing fighting against the
Zaidiyyah to a successful conclusion. San'a was made the capital of his kingdom. The Ma'nids of
Aden were defeated in 1062 and forced to pay tribute. Ali as-Sulayhi appointed governors in Tihama, al-Janad (close to
Ta'izz
Taiz ( ar, تَعِزّ, Taʿizz) is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni Highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. With a populat ...
) and at-Ta'kar (close to
Ibb
Ibb ( ar, إِبّ, ʾIbb) is a city in Yemen, the capital of Ibb Governorate, located about northeast of Mocha and south of Sana'a.
A market town and administrative centre developed during the Ottoman Empire, it is one of the most important ...
).
Al-Mukarram Ahmad
Ali as-Sulayhi was eventually assassinated at the hands of relatives of the Najahids whom he had previously defeated; the date is variously given as 1067 or 1081. He was succeeded on the throne by his son al-Mukarram Ahmad. The beginning of his rule is not satisfactory documented, but the area controlled by the Sulayhids was severely diminished, possibly to the San'a area. After some years, al-Mukarram Ahmad was able to rescue his mother
Asma bint Shihab
Asma Bint Shihab al-Sulayhiyya () (died 1087) was the queen and co-ruler of Yemen in co-regency with her cousin and spouse, Ali al-Sulayhi, and later her son Ahmad al-Mukkaram, and daughter-in-law, Arwa al-Sulayhi, from 1047 until 1087. Her full ...
who had been captured by the Najahids, and the Sulayhid armies regained much territory. He could certainly not prevent the Najahids from keeping outside his power in the Tihamah, but the Sulayhids nevertheless remained the most powerful regime in Yemen. In Aden the
Zurayids
The Zurayids (بنو زريع, Banū Zuraiʿ), were a Yamite Hamdani dynasty based in Yemen in the time between 1083 and 1174. The centre of its power was Aden. The Zurayids suffered the same fate as the Hamdanid sultans, the Sulaymanids and ...
, another Ismaili dynasty, came to power in 1083, at first as Sulayhid tributaries. The reign of al-Mukarram Ahmad ended in 1086 when he turned over governance to his wife
Arwa. He may nevertheless have exerted some influence from behind during the next few years. He died in the fortress of Ashyah in 1091.
Queen Arwa
Arwa al-Sulayhi (r. 1086-1138) had borne al-Mukarram Ahmad four children, but none of these took an active part in politics. The new queen was recognized by the Fatimids of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
as the suzerain over the various Yemeni kings. She established her capital in
Jibla rather than Sana'a in about 1087. Queen Arwa was known as an outstanding ruler, indeed one of the most renowned ruling queens of the Islamic world. She governed with the help of a succession of strong henchmen. The first was Saba' bin Ahmad, a distant cousin of the Sulayhids who formally married queen Arwa. The marriage, however, was probably not consummated. He fought vigorously against the Najahids in the lowland and died in 1098. After his demise San'a was lost to the Sulayhids. The second was Al-Mufaddal bin Abi'l-Barakat (d. 1111) who governed from at-Ta'kar, a massive mountain fortress south of the capital Jibla, and was likewise active in the field against the Najahids. The third was Ibn Najib ad-Dawla who arrived in Yemen in 1119 from Egypt, being dispatched by the Fatimid caliph there. He managed to pacify much of southern Yemen and push back the Najahids. As he saw the queen too old to rule over the territories, Ibn Najib attempted a coup in 1125. However, he was bested and sent back to Egypt in a wooden cage, and died on the way. The last years of queen Arwa's reign are ill-documented. With her death in 1138, there was no-one left of the dynasty, and the Sulayhid era came to an end.
[''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Brill Online 2013, http://www.encquran.brill.nl/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/sulayhids-COM_1112]
Rulers
*
Ali as-Sulayhi (1047–1067 or 1081)
*
Al-Mukarram Ahmad (1067 or 1081–1086)
*
Arwa bint Ahmad (1086–1138)
Literature
* G. Rex Smith: ''Politische Geschichte des islamischen Jemen bis zur ersten türkischen Invasion''. In: Werner Daum: ''Jemen''. Umschau-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1987, , pp. 136–154.
See also
*
List of Shia Muslim dynasties
The following is a list of Shia Muslim dynasties.
North Africa and Europe
*Idrisid dynasty (788–985 CE) — (Morocco) - Zaidi
*Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171 CE) — (Kabylia) - Ismaili
* Banu Kanz (1004–1412 CE) - ( Upper Egypt) — Isma ...
*
History of Yemen
The history of Yemen describes the cultures, events, and peoples of what is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a ...
*
Islamic history of Yemen
Islam came to Yemen around 630 during Muhammad's lifetime and the rule of the Persian governor Badhan. Thereafter, Yemen was ruled as part of Arab-Islamic caliphates, and became a province in the Islamic empire.
Regimes affiliated to the Egypti ...
References
Sources
*
{{Muslim dynasties in Arabian Peninsula
Islamic history of Yemen
History of Saudi Arabia
Arab dynasties
Ismaili dynasties
Former monarchies of Asia
States and territories established in the 1040s
States and territories disestablished in the 11th century
1047 establishments in Asia
1130s disestablishments in Asia
Vassal rulers of the Fatimid Caliphate
Arab slave owners