Kindah
Encyclopedia
The kingdom of Kindah was a vassal kingdom
which ruled from Qaryah dhat Kahl in Nejd, Central Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia
). The kingdom controlled much of the northern Arabian peninsula
in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
) in the early 3rd century AD. They played a major role in the Sabaean-Hadramite war. With the Sabaean victory, a branch of Kindah established themselves in Hadramout, and the majority of Kindah returned to their lands to the east of Marib.
and the Himyari's final annexation of Saba'a, the Kindites headed towards ancient Bahrain
but were expelled by the Abdul Qais tribe. The Kindites returned to Yemen, leaving a branch of Kindah in modern Jabal Shammar in Nejd, the Levant
and Iraq
.
, so they were settled in Northern Hadramout and were given authority over Hadramout by the Himyarites. From this point on, some Arab historians consider Kindah to have been part of the Himyar tribal federation.
. The Himyarites decided to establish a vassal state
that controlled Central and North Arabia. The Kindites gained strength and numbers to play that role, and in 425 AD the Himyarite king Hasan ibn Amr ibn Tubba’ made Hujr Akil al-Murar ibn Amr the first King (Hujr) of Kindah.
, Lakhmids
and Kindites were all Kahlani and Qahtani vassal kingdoms appointed by the Byzantines
, Persians and Himyarites to protect their borders and imperial interests from the raids of the then-rising threat of the Adnani tribes. The Kindites were the most successful in pacifying the Adnani tribes of Central Arabia through alliances, and focused on wars with the Lakhmids.
and Hijaz.
, who was not only a son of one of the last Kindite kings (and unsuccessfully tried to resurrect his father's kingdom), but also the most prominent pre-Islamic Arab poet. It was during Al-Qais' time, in 540 AD, that the Lakhmids destroyed all the Kindite settlements in Nejd, forcing them to move back to the Hadramawt with the Aksumites (Aksum) in Western Yemen. The Kindites and most the Arab tribes switched their alliances to the Lakhmids
.
in the late 5th century AD led to the conversion to Judaism of the Kindites. However, the transition of the power in Yemen to Christian
Aksumites in 525 AD appears to have undermined Kindite Judaism in the most significant way.
, Oman
, Iraq
, the United Arab Emirates
, Saudi Arabia
, Syria
, Jordan
, southern Algeria
, Indonesia
, Singapore
, Malaysia and the southern Philippines
.
Vassal state
A vassal state is any state that is subordinate to another. The vassal in these cases is the ruler, rather than the state itself. Being a vassal most commonly implies providing military assistance to the dominant state when requested to do so; it sometimes implies paying tribute, but a state which...
which ruled from Qaryah dhat Kahl in Nejd, Central Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
). The kingdom controlled much of the northern Arabian peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
Origin
The Kindah tribe was a Kahlani branch of the Sabaean Kingdom of Marib (central YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
) in the early 3rd century AD. They played a major role in the Sabaean-Hadramite war. With the Sabaean victory, a branch of Kindah established themselves in Hadramout, and the majority of Kindah returned to their lands to the east of Marib.
Migration out of Yemen
After the collapse of the Marib DamMarib Dam
The Marib or Ma'rib or Ma'arib Dam blocks the Wadi Adhanah in the valley of Dhana in the Balaq Hills, Yemen. The current dam is close to the ruins of the Great Dam of Marib, dating from around the eighth century BC...
and the Himyari's final annexation of Saba'a, the Kindites headed towards ancient Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
but were expelled by the Abdul Qais tribe. The Kindites returned to Yemen, leaving a branch of Kindah in modern Jabal Shammar in Nejd, the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Return to Yemen
When some of the Kindites returned to Yemen in the 4th century AD, the Himyarites were at the height of their power, having annexed Hadramout, the last rival South Arabian kingdom. The Kindites had historic feuds with the Hadramite tribes of the southern WadiWadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
, so they were settled in Northern Hadramout and were given authority over Hadramout by the Himyarites. From this point on, some Arab historians consider Kindah to have been part of the Himyar tribal federation.
Kindite kings in Hadramout 325AD–425AD
- Muwiyah Ibn Mutri
- Murti ibn Muawiyah
- Muawiyah ibn Thaur
- Amr ibn Muawiyah
- Muawiyah ibn Rabiah
- Hijr Ibn Muwaiyah
Expansion towards Northern Arabia
In the 5th century AD, the Adnani tribes of the North became a major threat to the trade line between Yemen and SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. The Himyarites decided to establish a vassal state
Vassal state
A vassal state is any state that is subordinate to another. The vassal in these cases is the ruler, rather than the state itself. Being a vassal most commonly implies providing military assistance to the dominant state when requested to do so; it sometimes implies paying tribute, but a state which...
that controlled Central and North Arabia. The Kindites gained strength and numbers to play that role, and in 425 AD the Himyarite king Hasan ibn Amr ibn Tubba’ made Hujr Akil al-Murar ibn Amr the first King (Hujr) of Kindah.
Kindite Kings ruling from Nejd 425AD–528AD
- Hujr Akil al-Murar ibn Amr 425-458
- Amr al-Mansur ibn Hudjr 458-489
- Al-Harith Talaban ibn Amr 489-528
Wars with the Lakhmids
In that period the GhassanidsGhassanids
The Ghassanids were a group of South Arabian Christian tribes that emigrated in the early 3rd century from Yemen to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the Holy Land....
, Lakhmids
Lakhmids
The Lakhmids , Banu Lakhm , Muntherids , were a group of Arab Christians who lived in Southern Iraq, and made al-Hirah their capital in 266. Poets described it as a Paradise on earth, an Arab Poet described the city's pleasant climate and beauty "One day in al-Hirah is better than a year of...
and Kindites were all Kahlani and Qahtani vassal kingdoms appointed by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Persians and Himyarites to protect their borders and imperial interests from the raids of the then-rising threat of the Adnani tribes. The Kindites were the most successful in pacifying the Adnani tribes of Central Arabia through alliances, and focused on wars with the Lakhmids.
The fall of Himyar
In 525 AD, the Aksumites invaded Himyar, and the Kindites gradually declined. Within three years the Kindite kingdom had split into several smaller kingdoms, which were subsequently destroyed in the 530s and 540s in a series of uprisings of the Adnani tribes of NajdNajd
Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...
and Hijaz.
Imru' Al-Qais and the return to Hadramawt
Among the most famous Kindites is Imru' al-QaisImru' al-Qais
Imru` al-Qais bin Hujr al-Kindi was an Arabian poet in the 6th century AD, and also the son of one of the last Kindite kings. His qaseeda, or long poem, "Let us stop and weep" is one of the seven Mu'allaqat, poems prized as the best examples of pre-Islamic Arabian verse...
, who was not only a son of one of the last Kindite kings (and unsuccessfully tried to resurrect his father's kingdom), but also the most prominent pre-Islamic Arab poet. It was during Al-Qais' time, in 540 AD, that the Lakhmids destroyed all the Kindite settlements in Nejd, forcing them to move back to the Hadramawt with the Aksumites (Aksum) in Western Yemen. The Kindites and most the Arab tribes switched their alliances to the Lakhmids
Lakhmids
The Lakhmids , Banu Lakhm , Muntherids , were a group of Arab Christians who lived in Southern Iraq, and made al-Hirah their capital in 266. Poets described it as a Paradise on earth, an Arab Poet described the city's pleasant climate and beauty "One day in al-Hirah is better than a year of...
.
Jewish conversion
The conversion of the Himyarite kings to JudaismJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
in the late 5th century AD led to the conversion to Judaism of the Kindites. However, the transition of the power in Yemen to Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Aksumites in 525 AD appears to have undermined Kindite Judaism in the most significant way.
Descendants of the Kindites
Today, most people with Kindite ancestry live in YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, southern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia and the southern Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.