Najd

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Najd (disambiguation).

Najd
نَجْدٌ
Region
Regions
Riyadh, Al-Qassim, Ha'il

Najd (

Arabic: نَجْدٌ, pronounced [nad͡ʒd]) is the central region of Saudi Arabia, in which about a third of the country's modern population resides. It is the home of the House of Saud, from which it pursued unification with Hejaz since the time of the Emirate of Diriyah.[1]

Historic Najd was divided into three modern

Ḥaʼil, which features the mountains of Jabal Shammar housing the Tayy capital of Ḥaʼil
.

History

Part of a series on the
History of Saudi Arabia
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Pre-6th century

The Najd region is home to Al-Magar, which was an advanced prehistoric culture of the Neolithic whose center lay in modern-day southwestern Najd. Al-Magar is possibly one of the first cultures in the world where widespread agriculture and the domestication of animals occurred, particularly that of the horse, during the Neolithic period, before climate changes in the region resulted in desertification.[3] Radiocarbon dating of several objects discovered at Al-Magar indicate an age of about 9,000 years.[4]

In November 2017 hunting scenes showing images of what appears to be domesticated dogs resembling the

Canaan dog and wearing leashes were discovered in Shuwaymis, an area about 370 km southwest of the city of Ha'il. Dated at 8,000 years before the present, these are thought of as the earliest known depictions of dogs in the world.[5]

In

Samra from Banu Tamim in northern Arabia in their exodus from Yemen circa CE 115. These mountains are now known as the Shammar Mountains
. The Tayy Shammaris became pastoral nomadic camel herders and horse breeders in northern Najd for centuries with a sedentary faction ruling the tribal league from within their capital city of Ha’il.

In the 5th century AD, the tribes of North Arabia became a major threat to the trade line between

Qaryat al-Fāw.[6]

The

al-Ḥirah in southern modern-day Iraq.[7]
Later however in about 529, al-Mundhir recaptured the city and put King Ḥārith and about fifty members of his family to death.

In 525, the

Lakhmids
.

  • Plaque with a Ma'inic inscription and two ibexes (1st century BC – 1st century AD), Qaryat al-Faw
    Plaque with a Ma'inic inscription and two ibexes (1st century BC – 1st century AD), Qaryat al-Faw
  • Fragment of a mural painting with zodiacal motif (1st–3rd century AD), Qaryat al-Faw
    Fragment of a mural painting with zodiacal motif (1st–3rd century AD), Qaryat al-Faw
  • A large ancient stone carving, dating back to 8100 BC, of an equid—an animal belonging to the horse family, found at Al-Magar. The piece itself, measuring 86 cms long by 18 cms thick and weighing more than 135kg., is a large sculptural fragment that appears to show the head, muzzle, shoulder and withers of a horse.[8]
    A large ancient stone carving, dating back to 8100 BC, of an
    equid—an animal belonging to the horse family, found at Al-Magar. The piece itself, measuring 86 cms long by 18 cms thick and weighing more than 135kg., is a large sculptural fragment that appears to show the head, muzzle, shoulder and withers of a horse.[8]

The era of Muhammad

Main article:
List of battles of Muhammad

dirhams worth of booty.[9][10]

The

Invasion of Nejd happened in Rabi‘ Ath-Thani or Jumada al-Awwal, 4 AH (October, 625 AD).[10] Muhammad led his fighters to Nejd to scare off some tribes he believed had suspicious intentions.[11] Some scholars say the expedition of Dhat al-Riqa took place in Nejd as part of this invasion.[11]

The most authentic opinion according to "

Abu Hurairah and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari witnessed the battle. Abu Hurairah embraced Islam only some days before Khaibar, and Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari came back from Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia), and joined Muhammad at Khaibar. The rules relating to the prayer of fear, which Muhammad observed at the Dhat Ar-Riqa' campaign, were revealed at the Asfan invasion and, these scholars say, took place after Al-Khandaq.[11]

The

Abu Salama 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Asad to make a sudden attack on this tribe.[12][13]

After Muhammad

Map detailing the route of Khalid ibn Walid's conquest of Arabia

Ridda wars

Further information:
Ridda wars

After Muhammad's death, previously dormant tensions between the Meccan

Al-Aswad Al-Ansi and Musaylima claimed prophethood and started to establish leaderships in opposition to Medina. [14]

The

caliph
.

Apostasy and rebellion in central Arabia were led by

Malik ibn Nuweira led the tribes of Banu Tamim against the authority of Medina.[15]

On receiving intelligence of the Muslims' preparations, Tulayha too prepared for a battle, and was further reinforced by the contingents of the allied tribes. Before launching

Banu Ghatafan, which stood solidly behind Tulayha, but the Tayy were not so staunch in their support of Tulayha, and their chief, Adi ibn Hatim
, was a devout Muslim. Adi was appointed by Abu Bakr to negotiate with the tribal elders to withdraw their contingent from Tulayha's army. The negotiations were a success, and Adi brought with him 500 horsemen of his tribe to reinforce Khalid's army.

Khalid next marched against another apostate tribe, Jadila. Here again, Adi ibn Hatim offered his services to persuade the tribe to submit without bloodshed. Bani Jadila submitted, and their 1000 warriors joined Khalid's army. Khalid, now much stronger than when he had left Zhu Qissa, marched for Buzakha. There, in mid-September 632, he defeated Tulayha in the Battle of Buzakha. The remaining army of Tulayha retreated to Ghamra, 20 miles from Buzakha, and was defeated in the Battle of Ghamra in the third week of September.[16]

Several tribes submitted to the

Banu Saleem in the Battle of Naqra. In the third week of October, Khalid defeated a tribal chieftess, Salma, in the battle of Zafar.[16]

Afterwards, he moved to Najd against the rebel tribe of

Madinah.[citation needed
]

His riders were stopped by Khalid's army at the town of Buttah. Khalid asked them about the signing of pact with Sajjah; they said it was just because they wanted revenge against their terrible enemies.[citation needed] When Khalid reached Najd he found no opposing army. He sent his cavalry to nearby villages and ordered them to call the Athaan to each party they meet.

Zirrar bin Azwar, a squadron leader, arrested the family of Malik, claiming they did not answer the call to prayer. Malik avoided direct contact with Khalid's army and ordered his followers to scatter, and he and his family apparently moved away across the desert.[17][full citation needed] He refused to give zakat, hence differentiating between prayer and zakat. Nevertheless, Malik was accused of rebellion against the state of Medina. He was also to be charged for his entering in an anti-Caliphate alliance with the anti-Islamic prophetess Sajjah.[18][full citation needed] Malik was arrested along with his clansmen.[19][full citation needed]

Malik was asked by Khalid about his crimes. Malik's response was "your master said this, your master said that", referring to Abu Bakr. Khalid declared Malik a rebel apostate and ordered his execution.

Khalid bin Walid killed Malik ibn Nuwayra
.

Ikrimah ibn Abi-Jahl, one of the corps commanders, was instructed to make contact with Musaylima at Yamamah, but not to engage in fighting until Khalid joined him. Abu Bakr's intention in giving Ikrimah this mission was to tie Musaylima down at Yamamah. With Ikrimah on the horizon, Musaylima would remain in expectation of a Muslim attack, and thus not be able to leave his base. With Musaylima so committed, Khalid would be free to deal with the apostate tribes of north-central Arabia without interference from Yamamah. Meanwhile, Abu Bakr sent Shurhabil
's corps to reinforce Ikrama at Yamamah.

However,

Arfaja, and thereafter go to Yemen to help Muhajir.[21]

Meanwhile,

Muhajireen in Medina that joined Khalid's corps at Butah
. From Butah Khalid marched to Yamamah to join with Shurhabil's corps. Though Abu Bakr had instructed Shurhabil not to engage Musaylima's forces until the arrival of Khalid, shortly before the arrival of Khalid, Shurhabil engaged Musaylima's forces and was defeated too.

Khalid joined with the corps of Shurhabil early in December 632. The combined force of Muslims, now 13,000 strong, defeated Musaylima's army in the

Battle of Yamamah, which was fought in the third week of December. The fortified city of Yamamah surrendered peacefully later that week.[21] Khalid established his headquarters at Yamamah, from where he despatched columns to all over the plain of Aqraba to subdue the region around Yamamah and to kill or capture all who resisted. Thereafter all of central Arabia submitted to Medina. What remained of the apostasy
in the less vital areas of Arabia was rooted out by the Muslims in a series of well-planned campaigns within five months.

Post–Ridda wars, until the 10th century

Muhammad's followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia,

Al-Qa'qa' ibn Amr al-Tamimi into the front-lines against the Persians and Byzantines
.

Najd soon became a politically peripheral region of the Muslim world as the focus shifted to the more developed conquered lands. Many of members of the conquering tribes of Najd soon shifted into the Levant, Persia and North Africa, playing a role in future conflicts in the caliphate, becoming governors and even birthing emirates such as the Aghlabids.[22] Migrations continued throughout the centuries back and forth from Nejd to Iraq and the Levant, with many Najdi tribes reaching Khorosan and the Maghreb.

16th century to the unification of Saudi Arabia

In the 16th century, the

thwart Portuguese attempts to attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and the Indian Ocean.[23]

Ottoman control over these lands varied over the next four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.

Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the dynasty, joined forces with the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab,[26] founder of the Wahhabi movement, a strict puritanical form of Sunni Islam.[27]

This alliance formed in the 18th century provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion and remains the basis of Saudi Arabian dynastic rule today.

viceroy of Egypt, Mohammed Ali Pasha.[29]

A much smaller second "Saudi state", located mainly in Nejd, was established in 1824 by

Turki bn Abdullah.[30] Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the Al Saud contested control of the interior of what was to become Saudi Arabia with another Arabian ruling family, the Al Rashid. By 1891, the Al Rashid were victorious and the Al Saud were driven into exile in Kuwait.[31]

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman Empire continued to control or have suzerainty over most of the peninsula. Subject to this suzerainty, Arabia was ruled by a patchwork of tribal rulers,[32][33] with the Sharif of Mecca having pre-eminence and ruling the Hejaz.[34]

In 1902, Abdul Rahman's son, AbdulAziz—later to be known to the west as Ibn Saud—recaptured control of Riyadh, bringing the Al Saud back to Najd.[31] Ibn Saud gained the support of the Ikhwan, a tribal army inspired by Wahhabism, and which had grown quickly after its foundation in 1912.[35] With the aid of the Ikhwan, Ibn Saud captured al-Ahsa from the Ottomans in 1913.

In 1916, with the encouragement and support of Britain (which was fighting the Ottomans in

Hussein bin Ali, led a pan-Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire to create a united Arab state.[36] Although this revolt failed in its objective, the Allied victory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia.[37]

Ibn Saud avoided involvement in the Arab Revolt and instead continued his struggle with the Al Rashid. Following the latter's final defeat, he took the title Sultan of Najd in 1921. With the help of the Ikhwan, the Hejaz was conquered in 1924–25 and on 10 January 1926, Ibn Saud declared himself King of the Hejaz.[38] A year later, he added the title of King of Nejd. For the next five years, he administered the two parts of his dual kingdom as separate units.[31]

After the conquest of the Hejaz, the Ikhwan leadership turned to expansion of the Wahhabist realm into the British protectorates of Transjordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and began raiding those territories. This met with Ibn Saud's opposition, as he recognized the danger of a direct conflict with the British. At the same time, the Ikhwan became disenchanted with Ibn Saud's domestic policies, which appeared to favor modernization and the increase in the number of non-Muslim foreigners in the country. As a result, they turned against Ibn Saud and, after a two-year struggle, were defeated in 1930 at the Battle of Sabilla, where their leaders were massacred.[39] In 1932 the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were united as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[31]

Geography

Boundaries

Najd superimposed over the modern political divisions of Saudi Arabia

The Arabic word najd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula. However, the most famous of these in recent times was the central region of the Peninsula roughly bounded on the west by the mountains of the Hejaz and Yemen and to the east by the historical region of Eastern Arabia and the north by Iraq and Syria.

Medieval Muslim geographers spent a great amount of time debating the exact boundaries between Hejaz and Najd in particular, but generally set the western boundaries of Najd to be wherever the western mountain ranges and lava beds began to slope eastwards, and set the eastern boundaries of Najd at the narrow strip of red sand dunes known as the Ad-Dahna Desert, some 100 km (62 mi) east of modern-day Riyadh. The southern border of Najd has always been set at the large sea of sand dunes known today as Rub' al Khali (the Empty Quarter), while the southwestern boundaries are marked by the valleys of Wadi Ranyah, Wadi Bisha, and Wadi Tathlith.

The northern boundaries of Najd have fluctuated greatly over time and received far less attention from the medieval geographers. In the early Islamic centuries, Najd was considered to extend as far north as the River

Sassanid Empire as a barrier between Arabia and Iraq immediately prior to the advent of Islam. The modern usage of the term encompasses the region of Al-Yamama
, which was not always considered part of Najd historically, and became incorporated into the larger definition of Najd in the past centuries.

Topography

Najd is a plateau ranging from 762 to 1,525 m (2,500 to 5,003 ft) in height and sloping downwards from west to east. The eastern sections (historically better known as Al-Yamama) are marked by oasis settlements with much farming and trading activities, while the rest has traditionally been sparsely occupied by nomadic Bedouins. The main topographical features include the twin mountains of Aja and Salma in the north near Ha'il, the high land of Jabal Shammar and the Tuwaiq mountain range running through its center from north to south. Also important are the various dry river-beds (wadis) such as Wadi Hanifa near Riyadh, Wadi Na'am in the south, Wadi Al-Rumah in the Al-Qassim Province in the north, and Wadi ad-Dawasir at the southernmost tip of Najd on the border with Najran. Most Najdi villages and settlements are located along these wadis, due to ability of these wadis to preserve precious rainwater in the arid desert climate, while others are located near oases.

Historically, Najd itself has been divided into small provinces made up of constellations of small towns, villages and settlements, with each one usually centered on one "capital". These subdivisions are still recognized by Najdis today, as each province retains its own variation of the Najdi dialect and Najdi customs. The most prominent among these provinces are Al-'Aridh, which includes Riyadh and the historical Saudi capital of

Ha'il, Al-Qassim, and Riyadh
, comprising a combined area of 554,000 km2 (214,000 sq mi).

  • Lake at the 120 km long Wadi Hanifa valley that cuts through Riyadh
    Lake at the 120 km long Wadi Hanifa valley that cuts through Riyadh
  • The area of 'Uqdah on the outskirts of Ha'il
    The area of 'Uqdah on the outskirts of
    Ha'il
  • The An Nafud desert in the outskirts of Riyadh with the Jabal Tuwaiq in the background
    The
    An Nafud desert in the outskirts of Riyadh with the Jabal Tuwaiq
    in the background
  • shallow lakes south of Buraida
    shallow lakes south of Buraida

Major towns

Al-Hareeq, Hotat Bani Tamim, Layla, As Sulayyil, and Wadi ad-Dawasir
, the southernmost settlement in Najd.

Population

Social and ethnic groups

Prior to the formation of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the native population was largely made up of tribal

Arabs who were, for various reasons, unaffiliated with any tribes, and who mostly lived in the towns and villages of Najd working in various trades such as carpentry or as Sonnaa' (craftsmen
). There was also a small segment of the population made up of African as well as some East and South Eastern European slaves and freedmen.

Most of the Najdi tribes are of

Banu 'Amir
in southern Najd.

In the 15th through 18th centuries, there was considerable tribal influx from the west, increasing both the nomadic and settled population of the area and providing fertile soil for the

Wahhabi movement.[41]
By the 20th century, many of the ancient tribes had morphed into new confederations or emigrated from other areas of the Middle East, and many tribes from other regions of the Peninsula had moved into Najd. However, the largest proportion of native Najdis today still belong to these ancient Najdi tribes or to their newer incarnations.

Many of the Najdi tribes even in ancient times were not nomadic or bedouin but rather very well settled farmers and merchants. The royal family of Saudi Arabia,

Banu Khalid, and Banu Zayd
.

Most of the minority nomadic tribes are now settled either in cities such as Riyadh, or in special settlements, known as hijras, that were established in the early part of the 20th century as part of a country-wide policy undertaken by King Abdul-Aziz to put an end to nomadic life. Nomads still exist in the Kingdom, however, in very small numbers – a far cry from the days when they made up the majority of the people of the Arabian Peninsula.

Since the formation of modern Saudi Arabia, Najd, and particularly Riyadh, has seen an influx of immigrants from all regions of the country and from virtually every social class. The native Najdi population has also largely moved away from its native towns and villages to the capital, Riyadh. However, most of these villages still retain a small number of their native inhabitants.

About a quarter of the population of Najd, including about a third of the population of Riyadh, are non-Saudi expatriates, including both skilled professionals and unskilled laborers. Slavery was abolished in Saudi Arabia by King Faisal in 1962. Some of those freed slaves chose to continue working for their former slave-owners, particularly those whose former owners were members of the royal family.

Unlike the

Abbasids and the Ottoman Empire. This fact largely shaped its current dissimilarity to Hejaz.[42]

Religion

The region is traditionally known as a

'Uyayna, a village in the Najd. [43]

The majority of people in the region consider themselves as Salafi Muslims. The name derives from advocating a return to the traditions of the "ancestors" (salaf), the first three generations of Muslims said to know the "purest" form of Islam. Those generations include the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions (the Sahabah), their successors (the Tabi‘un), and the successors of the successors (the Taba al-Tabi‘in). Practically, Salafis maintain that Muslims ought to rely on the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the 'Ijma (consensus) of the salaf, giving them precedence over later Islamic hermeneutic teachings. [44]

Language

The people of Najd have spoken

Bedouin dialect, or due to similar conditions of isolation from foreign influence, they share similar isolated features being related dialects. The Najdi dialect is seen by some to be the least foreign-influenced of all modern Arabic dialects, due to the isolated location and harsh climate of the Najdi plateau, as well as the apparent absence of any substratum from a previous language. Indeed, not even the ancient South Arabian
language appears to have been widely spoken in Najd in ancient times, unlike southern Saudi Arabia, for example.

Within Najd itself, the different regions and towns have their own distinctive accents and sub-dialects. However, these have largely merged in recent times and have become heavily influenced by Arabic dialects from other regions and countries. This is particularly the case in Riyadh.

Economy

Jubbah
Najd is home to numerous date farms and large agricultural areas.

In the early 20th century, Najd produced coarse

dates and a wide range of other agricultural products.[45]

In popular culture

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's first novel The Saddlebag – A Fable for Doubters and Seekers describes events set in the Najd plateau along the pilgrimage route between Mecca and Medina in 1844–1845.

A contest held in the Middle East brought light to a new character in famed

SNK Playmore video game, The King of Fighters XIV. This character goes under the name Najd.[citation needed
]

See also

References

  1. ^ nejd. Retrieved August 30, 2023. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "History | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". www.saudiembassy.net. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ^ Sylvia, Smith (February 26, 2013). "Desert finds challenge horse taming ideas". BBC News. Retrieved November 13, 2016.; John, Henzell (March 11, 2013). "Carved in stone: were the Arabs the first to tame the horse?". thenational. thenational. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "Al-Magar Civilization Domestication of Horses in Saudi Arabia?". New Public Scientific Portal for: Paleolithic & Neolithic Rock Art Cave Paintings & Rock Engravings - Thomas Kummert. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "These may be the world's first images of dogs—and they're wearing leashes". Science Magazine - David Grimm. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
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  8. ^ "The rock art of Saudi Arabia". Bradshaw Foundation - Dr. Majeed Khan. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Mubarakpuri, The sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet, p. 290.
  10. ^ a b Hawarey, Mosab (2010). The Journey of Prophecy; Days of Peace and War. Islamic Book Trust. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Note: Book contains a list of battles of Muhammad in Arabic; an English translation is available.
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  12. ^ Mubarakpuri, The sealed nectar: biography of the Noble Prophet, p. 349.
  13. ^ Ibn Sa’d, vol.ii, p. 150.
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  19. ^ Al-Tabari 915, p. 502
  20. ^ Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 5.
  21. ^ a b John Glubb (1963), The Great Arab Conquests, p. 112.
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  23. ^ William J. Bernstein (2008). A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World. Grove Press. pp. 191 ff.
  24. ^ Bowen, p. 68.
  25. ISBN 0-391-00304-6
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  29. ^ "The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam". Library of Congress Country Studies.
  30. ^ (1992) Nineteenth Century Arabia. In Helen Chapin Metz, ed. http://countrystudies.us/saudi-arabia/8.htm Saudi Arabia: A Country Study]. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress.
  31. ^ a b c d "History of Arabia". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  32. ISBN 978-1-84603-339-1
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  33. ISBN 1-86064-193-8
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  34. ISBN 978-0-415-07667-8
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  35. ISBN 978-0-8156-2635-0
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  40. ^ جريدة الرياض – عين على القصيم.
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  42. ^ Riedel, Bruce (2011). "Brezhnev in the Hejaz" (PDF). The National Interest. 115. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  43. ^ "Saudi Arabia investigates video of woman in miniskirt". BBC News. July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  44. ISBN 9781783263943
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  45. ^ Prothero, G. W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 99.

External links

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