Editing History of Yemen (section)

===Advent of Islam and the three Dynasties===
{{Main|Yufirids|Ziyadid Dynasty|Imams of Yemen}}
[[File:Great Mosque of Sana'a1.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Great Mosque of Sana'a]], the oldest mosque in Yemen]]

[[Muhammad|Prophet Muhammad]] sent his cousin [[Ali]] to [[Sana'a]] and its surroundings around 630. At the time, Yemen was the most advanced region in [[Arabia]].<ref>{{cite book|author= Sabarr Janneh|title=Learning From the Life of Prophet Muhammad|page=17|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=1467899666}}</ref> The [[Banu Hamdan]] confederation were among the first to accept [[Islam]]. [[Mohammed]] sent [[Muadh ibn Jabal]] as well to Al-Janad in present-day [[Taiz]], and dispatched letters to various tribal leaders. The reason behind this was the division among the tribes and the absence of a strong central authority in Yemen during the days of the prophet.<ref>Abd al-Muhsin Madʼaj M. Madʼaj ''The Yemen in Early Islam (9-233/630-847): A Political History'' p.12 Ithaca Press, 1988 {{ISBN|0863721028}}</ref> Major tribes, including [[Himyar]], sent delegations to [[Medina]] during the ''Year of delegations'' around 630–631. Several Yemenis had already accepted [[Islam]], including [[Ammar ibn Yasir]], [[Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami]], [[Miqdad ibn Aswad]], [[Abu Musa Ashaari]] and [[Sharhabeel ibn Hasana]]. A man named [[Aswad Ansi|'Abhala ibn Ka'ab Al-Ansi]] expelled the remaining Persians and claimed to be a [[prophet]] of [[Rahman (Islamic term)|Rahman]]. He was assassinated by a Yemeni of [[Persian people|Persian]] origin called [[Fayruz al-Daylami]]. Christians, who were mainly staying in [[Najran]] along with [[Yemenite Jews|Jews]], agreed to pay [[Jizya]], although some Jews converted to Islam, such as [[Wahb ibn Munabbih]] and [[Ka'ab al-Ahbar]].

The country was stable during the [[Rashidun Caliphate]]. Yemeni tribes played a pivotal role in the Islamic conquests of [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]], [[Persia]], the [[Levant]], [[Anatolia]], North Africa, [[History of Islam in Southern Italy|Sicily]] and [[Andalusia]].<ref>Wilferd Madelung ''The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate'' p. 199 Cambridge University Press, 15 October 1998 {{ISBN|0521646960}}</ref><ref>Ṭabarī. (1992). ''The History of al-Tabari Vol. 12: The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A.D. 635-637 / A.H. 14–15'' p. 10-11 SUNY Press.{{ISBN|0791407330}}</ref><ref>Idris El Hareir. (2011). ''The Spread of Islam Throughout the World'', p. 380. UNESCO {{ISBN|9231041533}}</ref> Yemeni tribes that settled in [[Syria]], contributed significantly to the solidification of [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] rule, especially during the reign of [[Marwan I]]. Powerful Yemenite tribes like [[Kinda (tribe)|Kindah]] were on his side during the [[Battle of Marj Rahit (684)|Battle of Marj Rahit]].<ref>Nejla M. Abu Izzeddin. (1993). ''The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society''. BRILL {{ISBN|9004097058}}</ref><ref>Hugh Kennedy. (2013). ''The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State'' p. 33 Routledge, 17 June 2013 {{ISBN|1134531133}}</ref> Several emirates led by people of Yemeni descent were established in North Africa and [[Andalusia]]. Effective control over entire Yemen was not achieved by the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]. [[Imam]] [[Talib al-Haqq|Abd Allah ibn Yahya]] was elected in 745 to lead [[Ibadi|the Ibāḍī movement]] in [[Hadramawt]] and [[Oman]]. He expelled the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] governor from [[Sana'a]] and captured [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] in 746.<ref name="autogenerated237">Andrew Rippin ''The Islamic World'' p. 237 Routledge, 23 October 2013 {{ISBN|1136803432}}</ref> Ibn Yahya, known by his nickname ''Talib al-Haqq'' (Seeker of the Truth), established the first [[Ibadi]] state in the history of [[Islam]] but was killed in [[Taif]] in around 749.<ref name="autogenerated237" />

Muhammad ibn Ziyad founded the [[Ziyadid dynasty]] in [[Tihama]] around 818; the state stretched from [[Al Qunfudhah|Haly]] (In present-day Saudi Arabia) to [[Aden]]. They nominally recognized the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] but were in fact ruling independently from their capital in [[Zabid]].<ref name="autogenerated128">Paul Wheatley. (2001). ''The Places Where Men Pray Together: Cities in Islamic Lands, Seventh Through the Tenth Centuries''. p. 128. University of Chicago Press {{ISBN|0226894282}}</ref> The history of this dynasty is obscure; they never exercised control over the highlands and [[Hadramawt]], and did not control more than a coastal strip of the Yemen ([[Tihama]]) bordering the [[Red Sea]].<ref>Kamal Suleiman Salibi. (1980). ''A History of Arabia'' p. 108 Caravan Books, OCLC Number: 164797251</ref> A [[Himyar]]ite clan called the [[Yufirids]] established their rule over the highlands from [[Saada]] to [[Taiz]], while [[Hadramawt]] was an [[Ibadi]] stronghold and rejected all allegiance to the Abbasids in [[Baghdad]].<ref name="autogenerated128" /> By virtue of its location, the [[Ziyadid dynasty]] of [[Zabid]] developed a special relationship with [[Ethiopia|Abyssinia]]. The chief of the [[Dahlak Archipelago|Dahlak]] islands exported slaves as well as amber and leopard hides to the then ruler of Yemen.<ref name="Lunpor">{{cite book|last=Paul Lunde|first=Alexandra Porter|title=Trade and travel in the Red Sea Region: proceedings of Red Sea project I held in the British Museum, October 2002|year=2004|publisher=Archaeopress|isbn=1841716227|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSdmAAAAMAAJ|quote=in 976–77 AD[...] the then ruler of Yemen received slaves, as well as amber and leopard skins from the chief of the Dahlak islands (off the coast from Massawa).}}</ref>

The first [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] [[imam]], [[Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya|Yahya ibn al-Husayn]], arrived to Yemen in 893. He was the founder of the [[Rassids|Zaidi imamate]] in 897. He was a religious cleric and judge who was invited to come to [[Saada]] from [[Medina]] to arbitrate tribal disputes.<ref>Stephen W. Day. (2012). ''Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union'' p. 31 Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|1107022150}}</ref> Imam Yahya persuaded local tribesmen to follow his teachings. The sect slowly spread across the highlands, as the tribes of [[Hashid]] and [[Bakil]], later known as ''the twin wings of the imamate'', accepted his authority.<ref>Gerhard Lichtenthäler. (2003). ''Political Ecology and the Role of Water: Environment, Society and Economy in Northern Yemen'', p. 55. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. {{ISBN|0754609081}}</ref> [[Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya|Yahya]] established his influence in [[Saada]] and [[Najran]]; he also tried to capture [[Sana'a]] from the [[Yufirids]] in 901, but he failed miserably. In 904, the newly established [[Isma'ili]] followers invaded [[Sana'a]]. The Yufirid emir As'ad ibn Ibrahim retreated to [[Al Jawf Governorate|Al-Jawf]], and between 904 and 913, Sana'a was conquered no less than 20 times by Isma'ilis and [[Yufirids]].<ref>''First Encyclopaedia of Islam'': 1913–1936 p. 145 BRILL, 1993 {{ISBN|9004097961}}</ref> As'ad ibn Ibrahim regained [[Sana'a]] in 915. The country was in turmoil as [[Sana'a]] became a battlefield for the three dynasties as well as independent tribes.

The [[Yufirids|Yufirid]] emir Abdullah ibn Qahtan attacked and burned [[Zabid]] in 989, severely weakening the [[Ziyadid dynasty]].<ref>E. J. Van Donzel. (1994). ''Islamic Desk Reference'' p. 492 BRILL {{ISBN|9004097384}}</ref> The [[Ziyadid dynasty|Ziyadid monarchs]] lost effective power after 989, or even earlier than that. Meanwhile, a succession of slaves held power in [[Zabid]] and continued to govern in the name of their [[Ziyadid dynasty|masters]] eventually establishing their own [[Najahid dynasty|dynasty]] around 1022 or 1050 according to different sources.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدول المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=237 |language=ar}}</ref> Although they were recognized by the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] in [[Baghdad]], they ruled no more than [[Zabid]] and four districts to its north.<ref>{{cite book|author=Henry Cassels Kay|year=1999|title=Yaman its early medieval history|page=14|publisher=Adegi Graphics LLC|isbn=1421264641}}</ref> The rise of the [[Ismailism|Ismaili]] [[Shia]] [[Sulayhid dynasty]] in the Yemeni highlands reduced their history to a series of intrigues.