Zurayids

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Zurayids
بنو زريع
Banū Zuraiʿ
1083–1174
Arabic
Religion
Hafizi Isma'ilism
Ruler 
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Established
1083
• Disestablished
1174
CurrencyDinar
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Sulayhids
Ayyubids

The Zurayids (بنو زريع, Banū Zuraiʿ), were a

Ismaili
.

The Sulayhid connection

The Zurayid dynasty had a strong affiliation with Sulayhids, starting with Ismaili Hamdani common origin, vassalage & eventually intermarriage with the last Sulyahid Queen.[2]

Ismaili Hamdani common origin

Both the Sulayhid & Zurayid dynasties were founded by Ismaili Hamdani religious dais, who preached Ismailism with the support of the

Zaydi dynasties, forcing the Hamdan clans to convert to Zaydi or Sunni sects (with the exception of the Haraz & Najran
Ismaili enclaves).

Vassals of the Sulayhids

About the history of the dynasty we have only insufficient information. What we know mostly derives from the twelfth-century chronicle of 'Umara, who had personal contacts with the last princes.

Himyarite clan of Banu Ma'n paid tribute until the death of Ali and then declared their independence. However, Ali's son Al-Mukarram Ahmad immediately invested Aden and put an end to the rule of the family. Instead, two brothers called Al-Abbas and Al-Msaod, sons of Al-Karam, were summoned. The brothers were placed in power in 1083 and shared the governmental affairs between them. Al-Abbas resided in Ta'kar and took care of the trade with the interior, while Al-Msaod resided in the castle al-Khadra and handled shipping. About 100,000 dinars were paid in tribute each year to al-Mukarram.[4]

Marriage & absorbing the Sulayhid dynasty

After taking control of coastal Southern Arabia (

Ayyubid
expansion.

Rule in Aden & Lahj

Al-Abbas died in 1084. His son Zuray, who gave the dynasty its name, proceeded to rule together with his uncle Al-Msaod. They took part in the Sulayhid leader al-Mufaddal's campaign against the

Fatimids in Cairo kept a representation in Aden, adding further prestige to the Zurayids.[8]

The two dynasties

The descendants of the brothers Al-Abbās and Al-Msaod lived in severe rivalry with each other. Due to that the constellations of power often shifted. The two lines met in open warfare in 1138. Ali bin Abi Al-Gharat bin Al-Msaod faction was defeated by his kinsman Saba bin Abi Saud and were pushed out of Aden; Ali will later be killed in the battle of Za'za' in Lahij in 1150, displacing them out of Lahij. The victor Saba's sons likewise had a falling-out. But the rivalries also motivated ambitions for expansion.[citation needed]

Zurayid expansion

After the defeat of Al-Msaod branch, The Zurayid sphere of power stretched from

Dhofar. A decade later the ruler Muhammad bin Saba bought a number of important Sulayhid fortresses and towns & married the last Sulayhid Queen effectively inheriting all Sulayhid possessions. Among them were Dhū Jibla, al-Takar, Ibb and Ḥabb. Muhammad bin Saba died in 1153, and his son and successor Imran in 1166. Both were praised by their contemporary 'Umara as able and amicable rulers.[9] Imran left three small sons. Affairs were henceforth taken care of by the wazir Yāsir bin Bilāl, son of a freedman, who was characterized as brave, virtuous and generous.[citation needed
]

Mahdid & Ayyubid Sunni pressure

A new aggressive Sunni dynasty in Zabid, the

Arabia. When the Ayyubids conquered Aden on 22 June 1174 the rule of the Zurayids ended. Yāsir bin Bilāl, who still attended the affairs of the state, fled the city but was betrayed and turned over to Turan Shah who executed him in 1175.[11]

The End of the Zurayid Dynasty

During the first two decades of Ayyubid over-lordship Zurayid influence (remnants of Zurayid-Sulayhid dynasties) surfaced in the highlands enclaves, until it, too, was eventually suppressed in about 1193 with the surrender of the Damloa castle in Al-Hujariah.[12]

List of rulers

Al-Msaod line – Coastal possessions

  • Al-Msaod bin Al-Karam Al-Zurayi (1083–1110)
  • Abi Al-Gharat bin Al-Msaod (1110–?)
  • Muhammad bin Abi Al-Gharat bin Al-Msaod (?–?)
  • Ali bin Muhammad bin Abi Al-Gharat bin Al-Msaod (?–1150)

Al-Abbas line – Inland Possessions

  • Al-Abbas bin Al-Karam Al-Zurayi (1083–1084)
  • Zuray bin Al-Abbas (1084–1110)
  • Abi Saud bin Zuray (1110–?)
  • Saba bin Abi Saud bin Zuray (?–1138)
  • Ali Al-A'azz bin Saba (1138–1139)
  • Muhammad bin Saba (1139–1153) (expansion into Central Yemen)
  • Imran Muhammad bin Saba (1153–1166)
  • Muhammad bin Imran Muhammad bin Saba (1166–1174)
  • Abi Saud bin Imran Muhammad bin Saba (1166–1174)

See also

References

  1. ^ G. Rex Smith "Politische Geschichte des islamischen Jemen bis zur ersten türkischen Invasion", p. 140
  2. ^ "12485" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
  3. ^ The Book of chronicles by the illustrious qadi 'Umara the Yemenite, written by Najm ad-Din 'Umara al-Hakami (d. 1174), is translated in H.C. Kay, Yaman: Its early medieval history, London 1892, pp. 1-137.
  4. ^ H.C. Kay, Yaman: Its early medieval history, London 1892, pp. 65, 308.
  5. ^ The chronology of the Zurayid rulers is uncertain for the most part; dates furnished by Ayman Fu'ad Sayyid, Masadir ta'rikh al-Yaman fial 'asr al-islami, al Qahira 1974, are partly at odds with those given by H.C. Kay, Yaman: Its early Medieval history, London 1892; one source seems to indicate that they were independent as early as 1087.
  6. ^ H.C. Kay, Yaman: Its early medieval history, London 1892, pp. 66-7.
  7. ^ El-Khazreji, The pearl-strings, Vol. 1, Leyden & London 1906, p. 19.
  8. ^ Robert W. Stookey, Yemen: The politics of the Yemen Arab Republic, Boulder 1978, p. 96.
  9. ^ H.C. Kay, Yaman: Its early medieval history, London 1892, pp. 78-9.
  10. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0620
    .
  11. ^ G. Rex Smith "Politische Geschichte des islamischen Jemen bis zur ersten türkischen Invasion", p. 140.
  12. ^ "العقد الثمين فى تاريخ البلد الأمين | مجلد 4 | صفحة 295 | حرف الطاء | من اسمه طارق | 1434 ـ طغتكين بن". Retrieved 30 November 2022.

Literature

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