Muzayqiya

Muzayqiya
King of Kahlan
A bronze statue of an Arabian king found in Yemen, dating to around the same time period as Muzayqiya.
Reignc. 68–158 CE
PredecessorImran ibn 'Amr
Diedc. 158 CE
Tihama Region of Yemen
HouseKahlan, Azd
Father'Amir Ma' as-Sama
ReligionSouth Arabian polytheism

Muzayqiya (Arabic: مزيقياء), real name 'Amr was the leader of the Azd tribes and a king ruling parts of Yemen in the 2nd century CE. Muzayqiya succeeded his brother Imran in the leadership of the kingdom. During his time, the Ma'rib Dam collapsed which resulted in several Qahtanite tribes emigrating from Yemen.

Biography

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Family

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Muzayqiya's real name was 'Amr, and his father was the patriarch 'Amir Ma' as-Sama.[1] He also had a brother named Imran, whom he succeeded in leadership of Kahlan.[1] Muzayqiya had several sons including Jafnah, Tha'laba and Haritha.

His full lineage, according to Ibn Qutaybah is 'Amr ibn 'Amir ibn Haritha ibn Imru' al-Qays ibn Tha'laba ibn Mazin ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Azd; tracing his genealogy back to that of the Azd tribe.[2] Hisham ibn al-Kalbi extended his lineage further and indicated he was from the Kahlan tribe as well as a descendant of ancient Arabian patriarch Qahtan.[3]

The descendants of Muzayqiya, from each of his sons, include:

Rule

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The rule of Muzayqiya has been dated to the 2nd century CE.[6] He became ruler after his brother, the priest-king Imran ibn 'Amir, had died.[1] The early years of his rule were prosperous, especially for agriculture; the gardens underneath the Ma'rib Dam were full of trees which produced an abundance of fruit for the population.[1][7] However, in the final years of his reign, the Ma'rib Dam became neglected and then collapsed, resulting in several of the Qahtanite tribes evacuating from Yemen, and emigrating to other places in the Arabian Peninsula or the Levantine regions.[1][7]

A map of Yemen, with the red highlighted part being the land of the Akk, where Muzayqiya emigrated to

Muzayqiya himself emigrated to the land of the Akk tribe (now the Tihama Region) with some his family and people, where he fell ill and died.[1]

Historicity

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The Arab poet and Sahaba, Hassan ibn Thabit, is quoted as saying; "Yemen calls us to Saba' and we respond to it, and we are the kings of the people since the time of Tubba', when the kingdom was in the sons of 'Amr (referring to Muzayqiya)."[8] This is supported by historical inscriptions, for example the Sabaean king Ilīsharaḥ Yaḥḍub is recorded as having sent a delegation to a certain king of Ghassan and Azd.[9] This might have referred to the sons of Muzayqiya who ruled other parts of Yemen except for the territory of Saba' itself.

Map of the Arabian Peninsula by Francesco Berlinghieri, based on Ptolemy's work. The Ghassanids are seen in the western part of the peninsula; under the name Casaniti.

Evidence for the mass emigration from Yemen has been found as well. Ibn Abd Rabbih narrated that the Ghassanids, including Jafnah ibn Amr, received the name "Ghassan" due to an abundant water source near the place they emigrated to.[10] Ptolemy identifies the Ghassanids as living at a place not far from the mouth of a river that is connected to the ocean.[11]

The collapse of the Ma'rib Dam is documented in several inscriptions from the reign of Dhamar Ali Yahbur in the 2nd century CE.[12] A second collapse of the dam is mentioned during the reign of the Himyarite king Sharhabil Ya'fur in 454 CE.[13]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f al-Zirikli (2002). al-A'lam (in Arabic) (5th ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Dar El Ilm Lilmalayin.
  2. ^ Ibn Qutaybah. Kitāb al-Ma'ārif. Cairo, Egypt: Al-Matba'a al-Amira al-Sharqiyyah.
  3. ^ Ibn al-Kalbi (1988). Kitab al-Nisab Ma'ad wa al-Yaman al-Kabir (1st ed.). Beirut, Lebanon: Alam Al Kutub.
  4. ^ a b Ulrich, Brian (2019). Arabs in the Early Islamic Empire: Exploring al-Azd Tribal Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-3682-3.
  5. ^ Ulrich, Brian John (2008). Constructing Al-Azd: Tribal Identity and Society in the Early Islamic Centuries. University of Wisconsin--Madison.
  6. ^ اسكندر،, ابكاريوس، (1852). كتاب نهاية الارب: فى اخبار العرب (in Arabic). مطبعة الفعلة.
  7. ^ a b Ibn Kathir (2 May 2014). "The Story of Saba". Stories of the Qur'an. Project Ali. ASIN B00K3U3PL8.
  8. ^ Arafat, Walid. N., ed. (1971). Diwan of Hassan ibn Thabit. Gibb Memorial Trust. ISBN 9780906094303.
  9. ^ "Sabaean Inscription: ZI 75". dasi.cnr.it. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  10. ^ "العقد الفريد - ابن عبد ربه - مکتبة مدرسة الفقاهة". ar.lib.eshia.ir (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  11. ^ Ptolemy, Claudio (1482). Berlinghleri, Francesco (ed.). Geographia. Italy.
  12. ^ DASI: Digital Archive for the Study of pre-islamic Arabian -RES 4775+4776 RES 3441; Gl 551+1005. Archived 2023-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Nebes, Norbert 2004. A new ʾAbraha inscription from the Great Dam of Mārib. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies
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