Sulayhid dynasty

Sulayhid dynasty
بَنُو صُلَيْح(in Arabic)
Sulayhid dynasty بَنُو صُلَيْح(in Arabic)
1047–1138
Capital	Sana'a; Jibla;
Common languages	Arabic
Religion	IsmailiShia Islam
Government	Sultanate
Sultan
• 1047–1066 (first)	Ali al-Sulayhi
• 1067/1081–1086	Al-Mukarram Ahmad
• 1086–1138	Arwa al-Sulayhi
Historical era	Early Middle Ages
• Established	1047
• Disestablished	1138
Currency	Dinar
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Najahids
	Rassids
Zurayids
Hamdanids (Yemen)
Najahids
Sulaymanids

TheSulayhid dynasty(Arabic:بَنُو صُلَيْح,romanized:Banū Ṣulayḥ,lit. 'Children of Sulayh') was anIsmaili Shi'iteArab dynasty established in 1047 byAli ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhithat ruled most ofhistorical Yemenat its peak. The Sulayhids brought to Yemen peace and a prosperity unknown since Himyaritic times.^[1]The regime was confederate with theCairo-basedFatimid Caliphate,and was a constant enemy of theRassids- theZaidiShi'iterulers of Yementhroughout its existence.^[2]The dynasty ended withArwa al-Sulayhiaffiliating to theTaiyabiIsmaili sect, as opposed to theHafiziIsmaili sect that the other Ismaili dynasties such as theZurayidsand theHamdanidsadhered to.

Origins

The Sulayhids are from theArabYemeni clan of Banu Salouh, descended from the al-Hajour tribe, descended from theHashidtribe, descended from theHamdanids.^[3]

Rise

The firstIsma'ilimissionaries,Ibn HawshabandAli ibn al-Fadl al-Jayshani,already appeared inYemenin 881, thirty years before the establishment of theFatimid Caliphate.Their creed was subsequently disseminated among the mountain tribes in the early 10th century. During this period Ibn al-Fadl managed to conquerSan'aand the central highlands in 905, while Ibn Hawshab established himself atShibam Kawkaban.Nevertheless, this regime was beaten by the resurgent indigenousYu'firid dynastyin 916, after Ibn al-Fadl's death in 915.

In spite of this setback the mission of the Fatimids continued. The Fatimidda'i(leader) in Yemen, Sulayman az-Zawahi, befriended a young man from themountainous region Harazto the south-west of San'a,Ali bin Muhammad as-Sulayhi(d. 1067 or possibly 1081).^[4]Ali was the son of a respectedSunnichief but nevertheless susceptible to the doctrines and decrees of the Fatimids. In 1046, Ali was eventually converted to the Ismaili creed and was appointedkhalifawithin theda'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 theNajahidsin theTihamanlowland was poisoned in 1060 and his capitalZabidwas taken by the Sulayhids. The first Sulayhid ruler conquered the whole of Yemen in 1062, and proceeded northwards to occupy theHejaz.^[5]For a time, the Sulayhids appointed theEmirs of Mecca.^[5]Ali also controlled San'a since 1063, after bringing fighting against theZaidiyyahto a successful conclusion. San'a was made the capital of his kingdom. The Ma'nids ofAdenwere defeated in 1062 and forced to pay tribute. Ali as-Sulayhi appointed governors in Tihama, al-Janad (close toTa'izz) and at-Ta'kar (close toIbb).

Al-Mukarram Ahmad

Ali as-Sulayhi was 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 motherAsma bint Shihabwho 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 theZurayids,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 wifeArwa.He may nevertheless have exerted some influence from behind during the next few years. He died in the fortress of Ashyah in 1091.^[6]

Queen Arwa

TheQueen Arwa MosqueinJibla,amid theSarat MountainsofYemen

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 ofEgyptas the suzerain over the various Yemeni kings. She established her capital inJiblarather than Sana'a in about 1087.^[7]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.^[8]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.^[9]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.^[10]

Rulers

Ali al-Sulayhi(1047–1067 or 1081)
- Asma bint Shihab,co-ruler
Al-Mukarram Ahmad(1067 or 1081–1086)
Arwa bint Ahmad(1086–1138)
- Abd al-Mustansir,co-ruler
- Saba' al-Sulayhi,co-ruler

Notes

^Clive K. Smith (1981) The Suleihid dynasty in the Yemen, Asian Affairs, 12:1, p.21
^Contemporary Yemen: politics and historical background, By B. R. Pridham, pg.14
^العقاب, عبد الوهاب آدم (1 January 2009).الوحدة اليمنية: دراسة وثائقية في تاريخ اليمن المعاصر من مرحلة الإمام علي إلى تاريخ اليمن المعاصر(in Arabic). Al Manhal.ISBN 9796500164748.
^The sources differ on his date of death, see G. Rex SmithPolitische Geschichte des islamischen Jemen bis zur ersten türkischen Invasion,p. 139.
^^a ^bKamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998).The Modern History of Jordan.I.B.Tauris. p. 54.ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6.Retrieved11 June2013.
^H.C. Kay,Yaman: Its early medieval history,London 1892, p. 254.
^Encyclopædia Britannica,http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/572336/Sulayhid-dynasty
^His grandfather al-Muzaffar bin Ali was the brother of Muhammad bin Ali, the father of the founder Ali as-Sulayhi; see H.C. Kay,Yaman: Its early medieval history,London 1892, p. 304.
^R. B. Sergeant and Ronald Lewcock (eds),Sana: An Arabian Islamic city.London: World of Islam Festival Trust, 1983, p. 59
^Encyclopaedia of Islam,Brill Online 2013,http://www.encquran.brill.nl/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/sulayhids-COM_1112

References

Smith, G. R. (1997)."Ṣulayḥids".InBosworth, C. E.;van Donzel, E.;Heinrichs, W. P.&Lecomte, G.(eds.).The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.Volume IX:San–Sze.Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 815–817.doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1112.ISBN 978-90-04-10422-8.