Timeline of Yemen history
Encyclopedia
- 30th-25th century BC Ancient Arab tribes move North and South. Qahtan and A'ad settle South Arabia. The Akkadians and AmalekAmalekThe Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestor Amalek....
settle the North. - 23rd century BC - According to some legends, the Arabs of the South unite under the leadership of Qahtan.
- 21st century BC to the East of Qahtan A'ad settles OmanOmanOman , 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...
. - 20th century BC the Qahtanis began building simple earth dams and canals in the Marib area in the SayhadSayhadSayhad is a desert region that corresponds with Northern Deserts of Modern Yemen and Southwestern Saudi Arabia ....
desert, this area will be the nucleus of the forthcoming Sabean Dam of Marib. - 19th century BC IsmailIsmailIsmail may refer to:*Ismail , people with the name*Ishmael, the English name of Ismail*Ismael Village, in Sangcharak District at Sar-e Pol Province of Afghanistan...
was found by the Qahtani tribe of JurhumJurhumJurhum was a Qahtani tribe in the Arabian peninsula. An old Arab tribe, their historical abode was Yemen before they emigrated to Mecca....
. They adopt him and of the lineage of Ismail (40 generations later AdnanAdnanAdnan is the traditional ancestor of the Adnani Arabs of northern, central and western Arabia, as opposed to the Qahtani of Southern and south eastern Arabia who descend from Qahtan.-Origin:...
will be the new lineage of the Adnani tribes that will branch out of Qahtan) - 16th century BC the Qahtanis began to move to the Tihama coasts and the lowlands. A tradeline began to flourish along the red Sea Tihama coasts. During this period the Qahtanis began to settle East Africa in small trading colonies in neighboring East Africa.
- 12th century BC an order of High Priests who are referred to as the MukkaribsMukkaribsThe Mukkaribs "priest-kings," were the first rulers of the early South Arabian states. They were later replaced by ordinary maliks "kings."...
of the "Sabeans" will rule South Arabia and some parts of East Africa. - 11th century BC the reign of the legendary Queen Bilqis mentioned in the Bible/Quran.
- 9the century BC the Qahtanis began using a Variant of the PhoenicianPhoenician alphabetThe Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, was a non-pictographic consonantal alphabet, or abjad. It was used for the writing of Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia...
script, this will lead to the recording of the South Arabian history, from this point on. - 8th century BC Ma'een kingdom builds its capital in BaraqishBaraqishBaraqish or Barakish is a town in northwestern Yemen. It is located at around . It was known to the Greeks and Romans as Athlula , from the ancient Sabaean YTL. A Roman army passed through it during the 20s B.C., under the command of Aelius Gallus. The tomb of a Roman cavalryman, P. Cornelius, has...
. - 8th century BC the Sabeans build their capital on the edge of the mountains regions in Sirwah.
- 8th century BC the Qatabanians rise as Sabean vassals in central and east Yemen.
- 8th century BC Hadhramout / Hadhramawt rise as Sabean vassal kingdom in eastern Yemen.
- 8th century BC Awsan appears as independent nation in a region that will partly controlled by the Qatabanians.
- 719BC The temple of Marib is finished.
- 718BC War between Ma'een and the Sabeans.
- 716BC After securing their borders with Ma'een the Sabeans moved their capital to the more accessible Marib.
- 715BC The Sabeans control the trade line and started recording diplomatic relationships with AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
. - 715 BC Sumhu`alay Yanuf and his son Yatha`amar Bayyin complete building the Marib Dam.
- 700BC the Qatabanians build Timna and rebel against the authority of Saba
- 675BC Kariba-il Watar defeats the rebellion and brings all of South Arabia under the Sabean rule.
- 6th century BC Saba reaches its height of power and extends its hegemony across the Red sea establishing the Dam't Kingdom, this will be the nucleus of the SemiticSemiticIn linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
culture of East Africa. Although its not the first attempt of the Qahtanis to expand their rule to the African coast. - 5th century BC the Dam of Marib breaks, Saba suffers from drought and rebellions.
- 5th century BC the Ma'een kingdom allied with the Qatabanians and Hadramites rebel against Saba and gain their independence.
- End of the 5th century BC Ma'een establishes itself as the Dominat kingdom in the North of Yemen extending its authority on the Northern red sea coasts and establishes military/trading colonies as far as Sinai.
- 370BC Qahtani tribes attack the Persians out of Musqat in the Eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula. From that time on Qahtanis replaced the Ancient Arabs 'Ad in OmanOmanOman , 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...
. - 110BC HimyarHimyarThe Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar , historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BC, it took as its capital the modern day city of Sana'a after the ancient city of Zafar...
rises against Qataban. - 1century BC Ma'een declines gradually mainly due to the Roman control of the new sea trade routes.
- 1st century BC HimyarHimyarThe Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar , historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BC, it took as its capital the modern day city of Sana'a after the ancient city of Zafar...
starts expanding on the expense of the war-torn kingdom of Saba. - 100BC the remains of the Qhatani Jurhum tribe of Hijaz and Nejd integrate their lineage under Nizar bin Ma'ad bin Adnan. From this point on they become the Adnanis.
- 25BC The Romans encouraged by the civil war in South Arabia attempt to invade the region, but fail to survive the Arabian desert.
- 25BC Sabean civil war, HimyarHimyarThe Himyarite Kingdom or Himyar , historically referred to as the Homerite Kingdom by the Greeks and the Romans, was a kingdom in ancient Yemen. Established in 110 BC, it took as its capital the modern day city of Sana'a after the ancient city of Zafar...
closes in on Saba and takes over most of the Sabean central highlands, red sea coasts territory. Saba breaks into two smaller states in the northern highlands and the desert region around the capital Marib. - 1st century AD the kingdom of Aksum dominates East Africa and takesover the Sabean trading/military colonies.
- In the 1st century BC Himyar allied itself with most of the Qahatni tribes of the lowlands and central highlands, annexing most of Saba and Southern QatabanQatabanQataban was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms. Its heartland was located in the Baihan valley. Like some other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars...
, but Hadhramout repels them. - 1st century AD the Kahlan tribes remain as the only tribes still loyal to the Sabean state at Marib, Kahlan tribes cornered to the area between Sana'a and Marib in the North of Yemen.
- 2nd century AD Jews settle Yemen.
- 200 AD Himyar captures most of QatabanQatabanQataban was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms. Its heartland was located in the Baihan valley. Like some other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars...
. - 200 AD Himyar annexes the Sabean state of Marib.
- 200 AD after the loss of Marib Saba Kahlans septs AzdAzdThe Azd or Al Azd, are an Arabian tribe. They were a branch of the Kahlan tribe, which was one of the two branches of Qahtan the other being Himyar.In the ancient times, they inhabited Ma'rib, the capital city of the Sabaean Kingdom in modern-day Yemen...
, HamdanHamdanHamdan is a name of Arab origin. Among people named Hamdan include:*Al-Hamdan, famous Druze family*Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Yemeni Guantanamo detainee, driver and bodyguard of Osama bin Laden*Gibran Hamdan, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills...
, Lakhm , TaiTaiTai may refer to:*Tai peoples*Tai languages*Tai , a Chinese surname*Mount Tai, in Shandong, China*Lake Tai, on the border of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, China...
headed north except for the HashidHashidThe Hashid tribal federation is the second largest tribal federation in Yemen. Member tribes of the Hashid Confederation are found primarily in the mountains in the North and Northwest of the country. It was headed by Sheikh Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar until his death on December 29, 2007 and is...
and BakilBakilThe Bakil federation is the largest tribal federation in Yemen. Imam Yahya's campaign to subject the country, and more specifically the tribes, to his control, led him to undertake massive campaigns against their influence and power; in fact, his efforts succeeded in permanently eliminating all but...
tribes of Hamdan of GuratGuratGurat is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France.-Population:...
Saba and KindahKindahThe kingdom of Kindah was a vassal kingdom which ruled from Qaryah dhat Kahl in Nejd, Central Arabia . The kingdom controlled much of the northern Arabian peninsula in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.-Origin:...
in the ramlah desert. - 211 AD Hadhramout allies itself with QatabanQatabanQataban was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms. Its heartland was located in the Baihan valley. Like some other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars...
and Aksum attacking Himyar from the West and the east. - 217 AD while the Himyarites are fighting the Hadhramout/Qataban alliance in the east, the Aksumites capture the Himyarite capital Zafar, .
- 221 AD Hadhramout annexes QatabanQatabanQataban was one of the ancient Yemeni kingdoms. Its heartland was located in the Baihan valley. Like some other Southern Arabian kingdoms it gained great wealth from the trade of frankincense and myrrh incense which were burned at altars...
and reaches its height of power. - 222 AD the Aksumites attempt to capture Hadhramout from the coast.
- 225 AD during the reign of Sha`irum Awtar the Himyarites/Sabeans attack the Kingdom of Hadhramout from the East and capture their capital.
- 227 AD the Gurat Sabeans and Himyar ally themselves against the Aksumites and retake Zafar. The Aksumites lose all their territories in South Arabia except for Tihama.
- 229 AD Himyar recaptures Southern Tihama and controls the Major East African ports across from Muza'a. The Aksumites keep the Northern strip of Tihama.
- 229 AD The Kahlani Imran bin Azd branch expel the Persians from Oman.
- 231 AD The Kahlani Jifna bin Azd branch settles Syria and Lakhm settles Mesopotamia.
- 280 AD Himyar annexes the last Sabean enclave to its Kingdom.
- 300 AD Himyar annexes Hadhramout expanding its borders to DhofarDhofarThe Dhofar region lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen. Its mountainous area covers and has a population of 215,960 as of the 2003 census. The largest town in the region is Salalah. Historically, it was the chief source of frankincense in the world. However, its frankincense...
Oman. to the East of their borders the Azd bin Imran (Azd Uman). - 320 AD Himyar annexes Suqatra.
- 325 AD From AL Ramlah in Yemen Shiekh of KindahKindahThe kingdom of Kindah was a vassal kingdom which ruled from Qaryah dhat Kahl in Nejd, Central Arabia . The kingdom controlled much of the northern Arabian peninsula in the 4th and 5th centuries AD.-Origin:...
Malikum makes alliances with Adnani tribes of Nejd. - 390 AD Abu-Kariba Asad-Toban King of Himyar converts to Judaism and spreads the religion in the region.
- 425 AD Himyar appoints Akil al-Murar ibn Amr as the first Hujr of its Northern Kindite colonies.
- 480 AD Amr al-Mansur ibn Hudjr rises his status to the king (vassal to Himyar) and bring the Northern part of the Arabian peninsula under Himyarite control.
- 5th century AD Christianity spreads in Najran/Tihama strip an area still allied to the Christian Aksum kingdom.
- 5th century AD two Jews from Yathrib travel to Himyar in hopes of converting the people of Himyar into Judaism.
- 523 AD King Dhu Nawas converts to Judaism, he begins a campaign to convert the Himyarites into Judaism. Himyarites convert in big numbers except in NajranNajranNajran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to...
. - 525 AD At this time Himyar included all the Arabian peninsula (via KindaKindaKinda may refer to:*Kinda , a 1982 serial from the television programme Doctor Who*Kinda Municipality, a municipality in Sweden*Kinda Hundred, a hundred in Sweden*Kindah, an ancient central Arabian kingdom...
) and he was angered by the Najrani chief refusal to leave Christianity. Dhu Nawas took Najran and massacred 20,000 Najrani Christians. - 525 The Christian Aksumites defeat Dhu Nawas and annex Himyar, starting a period of persecution against the Yemenite Jews. Third of the population of Yemenite Jews is exiled to Aksum.
- 570 - The Dam of Marib broke for the third and final time, triggering another migration of Yemeni tribes. The Qur'an itself refers to the collapse of the Marib Dam as a punishment on the Sabaeans for their ungratefulness to God.
- 570 - Under Khosrau I, PersianSassanid EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
forces expel the Aksumites with the help of Dhu Yazin. Persians later assassinate Dhu Yazin and try to establish their rule over all Yemen. But they fail and a number of autonomous kingdoms are established. - 630 - Islamic Caliphate expands into Yemen, which becomes one of its provinces.
- 897 - Yemen separates from the AbbasidAbbasidThe Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
caliphate and the Zaidi dynasty rules Yemen. First from SadaSadaSada as a surname may refer to:*Daniel Sada , Mexican writer*Eugenio Garza Sada , Mexican businessman and philanthropist*Georges Sada , Iraqi author and statesman*Masashi Sada , Japanese folk singer...
, then from Sana'aSana'a-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
. - 1173 - Yemen falls under the influence of the EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Ayyubid. - 1229 - The RasulidRasulidThe Rasulid was a Muslim dynasty that ruled Yemen and Hadhramaut from 1229 to 1454. The Rasulids assumed power after the Egyptian Ayyubid left the southern provinces of the Arabian Peninsula....
en dynasty rules Yemen until 1453. - 1517 - Ottomans absorb part of Yemen into their empire, mainly AdenAdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
and LahijLahijLahij or Lahej is a city and an area located between Ta'izz and Aden in Yemen. From the 18th to the 20th century, its rulers were of the Al-Abdali family who with Al-Sallami, Al-Ramada, Al-Sindi and al-Aqrabi, claims relation to Ahl al-Bayt...
. Sana'a and the rest of Yemen continued to be ruled by the Zaidi dyasty. - 1635 - The Ottomans are expelled from Yemen.
- 1839 - AdenAdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
comes under British rule and serves as a major refuelling port when the Suez Canal opens in 1869. - 1872 - Ottomans occupy the north of Yemen, but later face revolt.
- 1918 - Ottoman empire dissolves, North Yemen gains independence and is ruled by Imam Yahya.
- 1948 - Yahya assassinated, but his son Ahmad beats off opponents of feudal rule and succeeds his father.
- 1962 - Imam Ahmad dies, succeeded by his son but army officers seize power, set up the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), sparking civil war between royalists supported by Saudi Arabia and republicans backed by Egypt.
- 1963 - Commenced the revolution against the British colonialism, South Yemen
- 1968 - Total independence of Southern Yemen.
- 1990 - Yemeni unification.
- 1994 - Civil war in Yemen1994 civil war in YemenThe May–July 1994 civil war in Yemen was waged between the armed forces of the former Northern and Southern Yemeni states and their supporters...
- 2004 - Sa'dah insurgencySa'dah insurgencyThe Shia Insurgency in Yemen, also known as the Houthi rebellion, Sa'dah War or Sa'dah conflict is a civil war in Northern Yemen. It began in June 2004 when dissident cleric Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, head of the Shia Zaidiyyah sect, launched an uprising against the Yemeni government...
- 2011 - 2011 Yemeni uprising2011 Yemeni uprisingThe 2011 Yemen Uprising followed the initial stages of the Tunisian Revolution and occurred simultaneously with the Egyptian Revolution and other mass protests in the Middle East in early 2011. In its early phase, protests in Yemen were initially against unemployment, economic conditions and...