South Arabia جنوب الجزيرة العربية | |
|---|---|
 Map of South Arabia | |
| Country |  Yemen Saudi Arabia Oman |
South Arabia (Arabic:جنوب الجزيرة العربية), orGreater Yemen,[1] is ahistorical region that consists of the southern region of theArabian Peninsula inWest Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic ofYemen, yet it historically includedNajran,Jazan, andAsir, which are presently inSaudi Arabia, andDhofar of present-dayOman.
South Arabia is inhabited by people possessing distinctive linguistic and ethnic affinities, as well as traditions and culture, transcending recent political boundaries. There are two indigenous language groups: the now extinctOld South Arabian languages and the unrelatedModern South Arabian languages, both members of theSemitic family.
The termYamnat was mentioned inOld South Arabian inscriptions on the title of one of the kings of the secondHimyarite Kingdom known asShammar Yahrʽish II. The term was probably referring to the southwestern coastline of the Arabian peninsula and the southern coastline betweenAden andHadramout.[2][3][4] One etymology derives Yemen fromymnt, meaning "South", and significantly plays on the notion of the land to the right (𐩺𐩣𐩬).[5] Other sources claim that Yemen is related toyamn oryumn, meaning "felicity" or "blessed", as much of the country is fertile.[6][7] The Romans called itArabia Felix (fertileArabia), as opposed toArabia Deserta (deserted Arabia).Classical Latin andGreek writers used the name "India" to refer to South Arabia (ancient Yemen). The use of the term "India" arose from the fact that thePersians called theAbyssinians whom they came into contact in South Arabia by the name of theCushitic people who lived next to them,i.e.,Indians.[8] Southern Arabia was part ofIndian Ocean trade routes[9] for millennia. With the advent of theOmani Empire,[10][self-published source?] ties were strengthened betweenIndia and theEastern Coast of Africa andMadagascar.
Three thousand years ago, several ancient states occupied the region of South Arabia, beingM'ain,Qataban,Hadhramaut, andSaba.[11] In these ancient times South Arabia claimed several notable features: the famousdam at Marib, the cosmopolitanincense trade, as well as the legendaryQueen of Sheba.[12] Two thousand years ago theHimyarites became the masters of South Arabia, dominating the region for several centuries. TheEthiopianKingdom of Aksum invaded South Arabia first in the 3rd–4th centuries, then later in the 6th under KingKaleb who subjugated the region, c. 520. They were displaced byPersian forces of theSassanid dynasty, c.575, who also arrived by sea.[13][14][15] A half-century later, in the year 6A.H. (628), the region converted toIslam.[16]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(February 2025) |
He was worshiped by theMadhij and their allies at Jorash (Asir) in Northern Yemen
