|
Wadi Sirhan
Wadi Sirhan (; translation: "Valley of Sirhan") is a wide depression in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. It runs from the Aljouf Oasis in Saudi Arabia northwestward into Jordan. It historically served as a major trade and transportation route between Syria and Arabia. From antiquity until the early 20th century, control of Wadi Sirhan was often contested by various Arab tribes. The valley is named after the Sirhan tribe which migrated there in the mid-17th century. Geography Wadi Sirhan is a wide, enclosed depression that starts in the Aljouf region in Saudi Arabia (elevation 525 m) and runs northeast into Jordan, ending in the wells of Maybuʿ. Its breadth varies . According to the historian Irfan Shahid, "the term '' wādī'', which suggests a narrow passageway, might seem misapplied" to Wadi Sirhan, a "broad lowland". The Czech explorer Alois Musil described it as a "sandy, marshy lowland" with scattered hillocks. History Wadi Sirhan historically served as an importa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wadi As-Sirhan Location
Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portions of alluvial fans and extend to inland sabkhas or dry lakes. Permanent channels do not exist, due to lack of continual water flow. Water percolates down into the stream bed, causing an abrupt loss of energy and resulting in vast deposition. Wadis may develop dams of sediment that change the stream patterns in the next flash flood. Wadis tend to be associated with centers of human population because sub-surface water is sometimes available in them. Nomadic and pastoral desert peoples will rely on seasonal vegetation found in wadis, even in regions as dry as the Sahara, as they travel in complex transhumance routes. The centrality of wadis to water – and human life – in desert environments gave birth to the distinct sub-field of wadi h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bosra
Bosra (), formerly Bostra () and officially called Busra al-Sham (), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Daraa District of the Daraa Governorate and geographically part of the Hauran region. Bosra is an ancient city mentioned in 14th century BC Egyptian sources. A key Nabatean city, it became the prosperous provincial capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea following the dissolvement of the Nabatean kingdom. With the advent of Christianity, Bostra flourished as a Metropolitan Archbishopric, under the jurisdiction of Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. It also became a Latin Catholic titular see and the episcopal see of a Melkite Catholic Archeparchy. Throughout its history under various Muslim rulers, the city maintained its strategic importance as Syria's southern gateway. It attracted attention from Damascus' rulers and was governed by various lords, serving as a hub for Islamic learning and endowments. However, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banu Al-Qayn
Banū al-Qayn () (also spelled Banūʾl Qayn, Balqayn or al-Qayn ibn Jasr) were an Arab tribe that was active between the early Roman era in the Near East through the early Islamic era (7th–8th centuries CE), as far as the historical record is concerned. Origins According to traditional Arab genealogy, the Banu al-Qayn was founded by a certain al-Nu'man ibn Jasr, who was known as ''al-Qayn'' (the iron smith).Watt, p. 820. However, according to all historical indications, the tribe was strictly Bedouin and its tribesmen did not involve themselves in metalwork. The Banu al-Qayn formed part of the Quda'a, a large tribal confederation. History According to historian Irfan Shahid, "it is almost certain" that the Banu al-Qayn, along with the Judham and Amila tribes, "functioned as military units in the Roman period, forming part of the Nabatean confederacy".Shahid, p. 390. Moreover, Shahid argues the Banu al-Qayn dated back to the biblical era and "represent dthe strand of ethnographi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alqama Ibn 'Abada
Alqama, Alkama, ʿAlqama or ʿAlḳama may refer to: * 'Alqama ibn 'Abada (fl. early 6th century), Arab poet *Alqama ibn Qays (d. 681/2), Muslim scholar *Alqama (8th century) ʿAlqama or ʿAlḳama (Arabic: علقمة) was a distinguished Umayyad general who served in northern Iberia at the beginning of the 8th century. By order of Munuza, governor of the Kingdom of Asturias, Al Qama commanded an army tasked to end ..., Muslim general See also * Ibn Alqama (other) {{dab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banu Tamim
The Banū Tamīm () are an Arab tribe that originated in Najd and Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon, and has a strong presence in Algeria, and Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Libya. It is also present in many other parts of the Middle East and North Africa region such as Egypt and Khuzestan in Iran. The word ''Tamim'' in Arabic means strong and solid. It can also mean those who strive for perfection. History and origin The traditional family tree of the Banu Tamim is as follows: Tamim ibn Murr ibn 'Udd ibn Amr ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar bin Nizar bin Ma'add bin Adnan - a direct descendant of Isma'il bin Ibrahim (Ishmael, son of Abraham). The Banu Tamim are one of the largest tribes of Arabia. The tribe occupied numerous Wadis and villages in central and eastern Arabia in the 6th century before playing an important role in the beginning of Islam. They came into contact with Muhammad in the 8th year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phylarch
A phylarch (, ) is a Greek title meaning "ruler of a tribe", from ''phyle'', "tribe" + ''archein'' "to rule". Athens In Classical Athens, a phylarch was the elected commander of the cavalry provided by each of the city's ten tribes. In 442/441 BC, during the cavalry reforms initiated by Pericles, each of these tribal groups was authorised to levy a cavalry unit (''phyle'') of 100 citizens. Each was led by a ''phylarch'', who in turn reported to two ''hipparchoi'' commanding the entire cavalry force. Both levels of officer were appointed by an electoral process carried out each year. As citizen auxiliaries to the regular Athenian cavalry, detachments of mounted archers were employed. These were also commanded by ''phylarch'' leaders. Athenian citizens provided their own equipment and clothing for military service and there is no evidence of required uniform items for any ranks. However there are literary references in drama to individual ''phylarch'' and other officers wearing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limes (Roman Empire)
(Latin; , : ) is a term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimiting system of ancient Rome marking the borders of the Roman Empire. The term has been extended in modern times to refer to the Roman military frontiers and fortifications, frontier defences in other parts of the empire, such as in the east and in Africa. Overview The Roman frontier stretched for more than from the Atlantic coast of northern Roman Britain, Britain, through Europe to the Black Sea, and from there to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The positions of the borders changed especially during the main periods of Roman expansion and contraction, and first became more stable during the early Roman Empire, Empire period under Augustus, but the borders continued to change with time in different provinces. The borders had different constituents depending on local needs; often they consisted of natural boundaries (e.g. rivers) with roads behind for easier movement o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limes Arabicus
The ''Limes Arabicus'' was a desert frontier of the Roman Empire, running north from its start in the province of Arabia Petraea. It ran northeast from the Gulf of Aqaba for about at its greatest extent, reaching northern Syria and forming part of the wider Roman ''Limes (Roman Empire), limes'' system. It had several forts and watchtowers. The reason of this defensive ''limes'' was to protect the Roman province of Arabia from attacks of the nomadic tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, Arabian desert. The main purpose of the ''Limes Arabicus'' is disputed; it may have been used both to defend from Arab raids and to protect the commercial trade routes from robbers. Next to the ''Limes Arabicus'' Emperor Trajan built a major road, the Via Nova Traiana, from Bosra to Aqaba, Aila on the Red Sea, a distance of . Built between 111 and 114 AD, its primary purpose may have been to provide efficient transportation for troop movements and government officials as well as facilitating and prote ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Justinian I
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was expressed by the partial recovery of the territories of the defunct Western Roman Empire. His general, Belisarius, swiftly conquered the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa. Subsequently, Belisarius, Narses, and other generals Gothic War (535–554), conquered the Ostrogothic Kingdom, restoring Dalmatia, Sicily, Italian peninsula, Italy, and Rome to the empire after more than half a century of rule by the Ostrogoths. The Liberius (praetorian prefect), praetorian prefect Liberius reclaimed the south of the Iberian Peninsula, establishing the province of Spania. These campaigns re-established Roman control over the western Mediterranean, increasing the Empire's annual revenue by over a million ''solidi''. During his reign, Justinian also subdued ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banu Kalb
The Banu Kalb () was an Arab tribe which mainly dwelt in the desert and steppe of northwestern Arabia and central Syria. It was involved in the tribal politics of the Byzantine Empire's eastern frontiers, possibly as early as the 4th century. By the 6th century, the Kalb had largely adopted Christianity and came under the authority of the Ghassanids, leaders of the Byzantines' Arab allies. During the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a few of his close companions were Kalbites, most prominently Zayd ibn Haritha and Dihya, but the bulk of the tribe remained Christian at the time of Muhammad's death in 632. They began converting in large numbers when the Muslims made significant progress in the conquest of Byzantine Syria, in which the Kalb stayed neutral. As a massive nomadic tribe with considerable military experience, the Kalb was sought as a key ally by the Muslim state. The leading clans of the Kalb forged marital ties with the Umayyad family, and the tribe becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian state, Christian kingdom under the aegis of the Byzantine Empire. However, some of the Ghassanids may have already adhered to Christianity before they emigrated from South Arabia to escape religious persecution. As a Byzantine vassal, the Ghassanids participated in the Roman–Persian Wars, Byzantine–Sasanian Wars, fighting against the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian-allied Lakhmid kingdom, Lakhmids, who were also an Arabian tribe, but adhered to the non-Chalcedonian Church of the East. The lands of the Ghassanids also acted as a buffer zone protecting lands that had been annexed by the Romans against raids by Bedouins. After just over 400 years of existence, the Ghassanid kingdom fell to the Rashidun Caliphate during the Muslim conquest of the Levant. A few of the tribe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th centuryAD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'. During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces were Romanization (cultural), Latinised, but the eastern parts kept their Hellenistic culture. Constantine the Great, Constantine I () legalised Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople. Theodosius I, Theodosius I () made Christianity the state religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, expe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
