Banu Amila (, '), also spelled Amela, was an
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
tribe that historically dwelt in the
Levant (greater
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
) during the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
(3rd–7th centuries CE) and
early Islamic periods (7th–11th centuries). Before or during the
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
(late 11th–13th centuries) they made their abode in the mountainous region called after them, the
Jabal Amil, in present-day
Southern Lebanon. The long-established Shia Muslim community that lives in this region generally claims descent from the Amila, though the community's singular descent from the tribe is neither substantiated nor likely, according to the historian Tamara Chalabi.
History
Irfan Shahîd contrasts the traditional view placing the Amila's emergence in Syria during the 3rd century, holding that the tribe formed a part of
Nabataean confederacy along with
Judham and
Balqayn, and that their presence in the region goes back to Biblical times. Others have traced the tribe's origin back to
Quda'a
The Quda'a () were a confederation of Arab tribes, including the powerful Banu Kalb, Kalb and Tanukh, mainly concentrated throughout Syria (region), Syria and northwestern Arabia, from at least the 4th century CE, during Byzantine Empire, Byzanti ...
or even the Biblical
Amalekites.
Byzantine period
From their then-settlement in
southern Palestine (which they still occupied even during the Muslim conquest of the Levant), for centuries the Banu Amila acted as ''
foederati'' (tribal confederates) of the Byzantines, helping guard the empire's frontiers against threats from the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and the
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
n-allied
Lakhmids. They are believed to have settled in the area, possibly in the 3rd or 4th century, after moving from Iraq and through
Palmyra. They were noted for their strong commitment to the empire in the 6th century and acknowledged
Ghassanid supremacy among the Arab ''foederati''. They were closely linked with their neighbors, the
Banu Judham, and also allied to the
Banu Kalb. The tribe was among the Arab foederati, who, alongside the Byzantine Empire, opposed the initial Muslim incursions into the Levant.
While little is known of their religious beliefs, they have been described as superficial followers of
Monophysitism and were named ''Mutanasira'' (Christians who did not have firm belief in Christianity), as opposed to ''Nasara'' (Christians). Some even mention the tribe keeping some pagan practices. However, much later sources have described them as devoted Christians. Following the emergence of Islam, members of the tribe converted to Islam.
Notable members
*
Thalaba ibn Salama al-Amili, an Arab military commander in
al-Urdunn,
al-Maghreb and the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
, and briefly ruler of
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
from August 742 to May 743.
See also
*
Shia Islam in Lebanon
*
Jabal Amil
*
Tha'laba ibn Salama al-Amili
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amila
Arabs in the Roman Empire
Yemeni tribes
Shia communities
History of South Arabia
History of Lebanon