Basus War
Encyclopedia
The Basus War (often written al-Basus War; ḥarab al-basūs) was a conflict between two rival clan
s in medieval Arabia. The Taghlib
and Bakr
tribes fought for roughly forty years (from 494
-534
CE), locked in a perpetual cycle of vengeance. In parts of the Arab World
today, the Basus War has been incorporated into an aphorism
warning people against vendetta
s.
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
s in medieval Arabia. The Taghlib
Taghlib
Banu Taghlib or Taghlib ibn Wa'il were a large and powerful Arabian tribe of Mesopotamia and northern Arabia. The tribe traces its lineage to the large branch of North Arabian tribes known as Rabi'ah, which also included Bakr, 'Anizzah, Banu Hanifa and Anz bin Wa'il .The tribe's ancestral...
and Bakr
Banu Bakr
Banu Bakr ibn Wa'il or Banu Bakr, son of Wa'il were an Arabian tribe belonging to the large Rabi'ah branch of Adnanite tribes, which also included 'Anizzah, Taghlib, and Bani Hanifa. The tribe is reputed to have engaged in a 40-year war before Islam with its cousins from Taghlib, known as the War...
tribes fought for roughly forty years (from 494
494
Year 494 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Praesidius...
-534
534
Year 534 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iustinianus and Paulinus...
CE), locked in a perpetual cycle of vengeance. In parts of the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
today, the Basus War has been incorporated into an aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
warning people against vendetta
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
s.