South Arabia

With South Arabia, in contrast to northern Arabia usually referred to those parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the south of central Arabia ( Inner Arabia ) and Saudi Arabia are. The region is bounded on the east and south by the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

A corresponding subdivision in western Arabia ( Hijaz and Asir on the Red Sea ) and eastern Arabia ( " Pirate Coast " in the Arab -Persian Gulf) is used less frequently, it is called there rather from the Hijaz and the Gulf States, as western Arabia also with the entire Maghrib (Far West) and eastern Arabia with the Mashreq ( Arab East) are equated. South Arabia makes up the southern part of the Mashreq.

In a narrower sense is called South Arabia only to Yemen in the southwest, but the North Yemen remained until an antique Ethiopian meantime spared and later loose Ottoman suzerainty of foreign and colonial powers. In southern Yemen, there were at the time of British colonial rule even two short-lived protectorate of South Arabia in the state name, the South Arabian Federation and the Protectorate of South Arabia from. In a broader sense but also include Oman in the southeast to southern Arabia and sometimes even the side opposite to the Arabian Peninsula was once Arab territories of Ethiopia and Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

Historically took the regions both before and after the Islamization different from the north development, but was always connected by caravan routes. The Yemeni capital Sanaa applies not only to Damascus and Jericho as one of the three oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The region at the starting point of the Incense Road was home to the Sabeans, Minaeans and Himyarites. In addition to the kingdom of Saba Ausan, Hadramaut and Mahra were long independent.

South Arabians

Thereafter, the term South Arabians, represented by the Yemeni tribe of Qais as a term for opponents of the Umayyad dynasty was using. Unlike loyal " North Arabs ", the South Arabians also relied on a descent from the pre- Abrahamic patriarch Qahtan ( Kahtan ). The name of Qahtan is as surname and first name as today in Yemen more prevalent than in any other Arab country. The country's name Yaman (Yemen) is even of a South Arabian king named Ayman bin Qahtan bin Yaarub have been derived.

The conflict between North and South Arabians had continued the way down to the once Muslim Spain ( al -Andalus ) in the Far West ( Maghreb ), see History of Spain # Emirate of Córdoba.

In Libya, the Berber Hawwara claim (east of Tripoli) and Mazata a lineage ( Ansippung ) of Yemeni tribes.

• Arabia