Pre-Islamic Arabia

I've long been wondering how was Arabia (the Arabian peninsula) before Muhammed's teachings and the Islamic unificaton. Politically, culturally and religiously it seems that nobody takes much time on it. Most Wikipedia history articles for instance virtually start in 632 or even later (with a vague mention on people living there before).

I've found some minimal references though:

• Nabateans: most famous Arabs of the NW.
• Yemen: that was home to several succesive civilizations (Himrayites in pre-Islamic time, of Jewish religion and anti-Christian attitudes, later converted to Islam)
• Oman: that belonged to Persia since 563.
  
• Bahrain: also Persian, with rather strong Christian Nestorian influence.
• Lakhmis and Ghassanids of the northern edges of the desert

I've also found something on the pagan religion of Arabs, which seems connected to other Semitic pantheons, most notably the Canaanite-Phoenician one. See: Arabic mythology and Demons in pre-Islamic Arab culture.

I'm most interested in increasing my knowledge of pre-Islamic Arabia. How was the pagan Arabic religon structured, how were the tribes and cities organized, how strong was Jewish, Christian and Mazdeist influence... all that seems somehow essential in understanding the context in which Muhammed preached and fought.



Edited by Maju

It isn't worth to care about.

In the period before Islam also named as "Cahiliye" Arabs were killing their own daughters and digging them although they were alive.

Originally posted by Jagatai Khan It isn't worth to care about. In the period before Islam also named as "Cahiliye" Arabs were killing their own daughters and digging them although they were alive.

And you don't find that interesting? The historian is interested in what happened for good or bad... you can't erase a period of history just because you dislike it. Carthaginian and Phoenicians surely also comitted infanticide (human sacrifice) but that's no excuse to ignore them. Chinese and others have comitted infanticide even today and nobody ignores them because of that.

Besides, what about Judaist proselitism that reched Yemen? Isn't that interesting? Just an example...

 

 

 

i  think this is more accurate

 

yes

but the limits of Persia was to Iraq not the rest of the Gulf's coast.

and there werent a significant kingdoms just before the rise of islam in Arabia

 

Yemen was part of the Ethiopian Christan Kingdomes

and in the north the Ghassasins were Christan Arabs.

Jews didnt have a Kingdome they were like tribes living in Medina and Makkah and other parts too.

 

The Sassanid empire did include the Arabian side of the gulf coast.

Originally posted by azimuth yes but the limits of Persia was to Iraq not the rest of the Gulf's coast.

According to what I've found in several hours of Wikipedia browsing it seemed like Oman and Bahrein (and this latter dependencies in the Arabian coast) were at that time part of the Persian empire (follow the links in my first post for references).

This is a map of that Sassanid Empire at its height:

At the time of Muhammad, the Sassanid Empire was in deep crisis and central authority was very weak.

and there werent a significant kingdoms just before the rise of islam in Arabia Yemen was part of the Ethiopian Christan Kingdomes

While it seems the Himyarite dynasty of Yemen wasn't as prosperous as the earlier one of the Sabaeans, they seem the only major state in all the Arabian peninsula.

From Wikipedia:

Himyar was a state in ancient Yemen dating from 115 BCE. Conquered neighbouring Saba in 25 BCE, Qataban in 50 CE and Hadramaut 100 CE. It was the dominant state in Arabia until the sixth century. The economy was based on the export of frankincense and myrrh. The last Tubba Himyarite king, Dhu Nuwas, converted to Judaism and proceeded to massacre the Christians in his kingdom, many from neighbouring Ethiopia. This led to invasion by the Ethiopians, and the domination of the kingdom for 8 years. A coalition of Yemeni & Persian forces of Dailam later ousted the foreign invaders. The new Himyarite rulers soon converted to Islam.

Himyarite kings included:

• Rabiah
• Dhu Nuwas

The Ethiopian conquest happened apparently in 523 BCE (this is one century before the Hejira).

and in the north the Ghassasins were Christan Arabs.

That's reflected in my map well.

Jews didnt have a Kingdome they were like tribes living in Medina and Makkah and other parts too.

Apart of the Himyarite case, the other reference I've found is about Medina being home of a very large Jewish community at that time. No references on Mecca (that was another article that started with Mohammed and the importance of that city to Islam). No references about Christians in those cities either.

The general impression is that the conflict between Byzantium and Sassanid Persia affected all the area more or less diffusely. Byzantium prosecuted Nestorian Christians and the Persians welcomed them... but neutralized Christian Axumite expansion in Yemen. Very interesting...

Edited by Maju

Thought this could be of use, although it's not about politics: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/southarabian.htm

Edited by Kuu-ukko

azimuth, it said that the Sassanid empire was even larger than the Achaemenid empire in the early 7th century.

Azimuth, the Sassanid Empire was onl weakened in the mid to late 620s, before that Jerusalem was conquered and all of the land was under iron grip of Zaroastrian priests.