Al-Sharat
Ash-SharātorAsh-Sharāh(Arabic:ٱلشَّرَاة,also known asBilād ash-Sharāt(Arabic:بِلَاد ٱلشَّرَاة) orJibāl ash-Sharāt(Arabic:جِبَال ٱلشَّرَاة), is ahighlandregion in modern-day southernJordanand northwesternSaudi Arabia.It was formerly a sub-district inBilad al-Shamduring the 7th–11th centuriesCE.[1][2][3]
It roughly corresponds to the biblical Mount Seir.[4]
Geography
[edit]In modern-dayJordan,the region of Al-Sharat starts immediately south ofWadi Mujib.The northern range contains mountains with peaks up to 1,200 meters above sea level, while to the south the mountains get as high as 1,500 metres (4,900 feet) above sea level. The principal city ofBilad al-SharatisAl-Karak.The northern part of the region in Jordan is under the administration of theKarak Governorate,while the more arid part south ofWadi Arabahcomes under theMa'an Governorate.[3]
In the 9th century, Al-Sharat's capital wasAdhruh,but by the late 10th century, it apparently was replaced bySughar(Zoar). Other principal towns in the district includedTabuk,Ma'an(Mu'an),Madyan,Aynunah (on the northernRed Seacoast),Wayla(Ayla) andMaab(Rabba).[5]
History
[edit]From the beginning of theMuslim conquest of the Levant,Al-Sharat formed the southernkurah(district) ofJund Dimashq(Province of Damascus), until the late 9th century, after which it became part ofJund Filastin(Province of Palestine).[3][5]It was theTulunidswho first attached Al-Sharat to Filastin for practical purposes, as the district was closer to Filastin thanDamascus.[3]In 985, during the lateAbbasidperiod, theJerusalemitegeographerAl-Muqaddasidescribed Al-Sharat as its own district, neither belonging to Dimashq nor Filastin, in the larger province ofBilad al-Sham(Islamic Syria).[5]
The district of Al-Sharat was contiguous with Al-Jibal, which was considered to be the actual "mountains of Edom". Persian geographerAl-Istakhri(d. 957) described the Palestinian districts as "extremely fertile and rich" and dominated by maraudingBedouintribes.[5]In the late 10th century, the old-establishedYamanitribes ofLakhmandJudhamwere engaged in a struggle over dominance of Al-Sharat with newcomers from the tribe ofTayy.[2]Though information about theFatimidadministration over the Levant is vague, CaliphAl-Aziz(975–996) may have made Al-Sharat (south ofWadi Mujib) its own province which lasted until theCrusaderinvasion in the early 12th century.[1]
The Crusaders annexed Al-Sharat in the 1110s. Initially, it was part of the royaldemesneof theKingdom of Jerusalem,but in 1126, the feudal lordship ofOultrejordainwas formed out of the former district of Al-Sharat. Its jurisdiction extended from theZarqa Riverin the north to theRed Seain the south. The Crusaders built the fortresses ofMontreal(Shawbak) in 1115 andCrac(Al-Karak) in 1145.[1][3]Both became major centers of the lordship. By the mid-12th century, the inhabitants of Al-Sharat were mainly Bedouin from variousQaysitribes. At that time, the Muslim geographerMuhammad al-Idrisi(d. 1165) wrote about the fertility of the district and that it produced an abundance of olives, almonds, figs, grapes and pomegranates.[5]
Bilad al-Sharat was conquered by theAyyubidsunderSaladinin 1187. During Ayyubid rule, Syrian geographerYaqut al-Hamawi(d. 1229) noted that Al-Sharat was a mountainous region through which theHajjcaravan road fromDamascustoMeccapassed.[5]DuringMamlukrule, Al-Sharat becameMamlakat al-Karak(Province of al-Karak). By the mid-19th century, Bedouin from theHuwaytattribe were encroaching into the southern parts of Bilad al-Sharat, and amid the Bedouin-induced anarchy in the region, Christians fromTafilahand al-Karak began fleeing to the north. During that time, Bilad al-Sharat, with the exception ofAqaba,was largely part of theOttomandistrict of Mutassarifyya al-Karak.[3]
See also
[edit]- Mashriq
- Middle East
- Mount Seir(ancient/biblical name), which roughly corresponds with Al-Sharat
References
[edit]- ^abcJohns, Jeremy (1994)."The Long Durée:State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries ".In Rogan, Eugene L.; Tell, Tariq (eds.).Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan.London: British Academic Press. pp. 10–11.ISBN9781850438298.
- ^abSalibi, Kamal S.(1977).Syria Under Islam: Empire on Trial.Vol. 1. Delmar: Caravan Books. pp. 74–1097.ISBN9780882060132.
- ^abcdefSalibi, Kamal S. (1993).The Modern History of Jordan.I. B. Tauris. pp. 4–36.ISBN9781860643316.
- ^Simkins, Ronald A. (2019)."Seir (place)".In Freedman, David Noel (ed.).Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.Eerdmans.ISBN978-1-4674-6046-0.
- ^abcdefLe Strange, G.(1890).Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500.London: Committee of thePalestine Exploration Fund.pp.28–39.OCLC1004386.