Kahlan () was one of the main tribal confederations of
Saba' in
Ancient Yemen. They are descended from Kahlan bin Saba bin Yishjab bin Yarub bin Qahtan.
Conflict with Himyar
By the 2nd century BC Saba' was declining gradually and its southern neighbor
Himyar
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According to class ...
was able to settle many nomadic tribes that were allied to Himyar and create a stronger Himyarite nation in the lowlands. Eventually Saba' was incorporated into Himyar and resistance was reduced to the Kahlan tribes who were overpowered by Himyar and forced out of Highlands in Yemen. Most of Kahlan remained in the Yemeni desert region around
Marib
Marib (; Ancient South Arabian script, Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of ''Saba’, Sabaʾ'' (), which some scholars beli ...
until the destruction of the
Dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
in the 3rd century AD. this forced the Kahlani tribes to emigrate northwards through Arabia. They reaching as far as
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
and
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 ...
prior to the 7th century Arab conquests under Islam. After the Arab conquests, the Kahlani Arabs, among other Qahtani and Adnani tribes, reached all the way to the far edges of the
Umayyad Empire.
The Kahlan Septs
The Kahlan branched into 5 main branches;
Azd
The Azd (Arabic: أَزْد), or Al-Azd (Arabic: ٱلْأَزْد), is an ancient Tribes of Arabia, Arabian tribe. The lands of Azd occupied an area west of Bisha and Al Bahah in what is today Saudi Arabia.
Land of Azd Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre- ...
,
Hamdan,
Lakhm,
Tayy,
Kinda.
Madhhij
Azd branches
In the 3rd century AD. The
Azd
The Azd (Arabic: أَزْد), or Al-Azd (Arabic: ٱلْأَزْد), is an ancient Tribes of Arabia, Arabian tribe. The lands of Azd occupied an area west of Bisha and Al Bahah in what is today Saudi Arabia.
Land of Azd Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre- ...
branched into four branches each led by one of the sons of the Arabian king
Muzayqiya.
Imran bin Amr
Imran bin Amr and the bulk of the tribe went to
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
where they established the Azdi presence in Eastern Arabia and later invaded Karman and
Shiraz
Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...
in Southern Persia. Another branch headed west back to Yemen and a group went further West all the way to Tihama on the
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
. This branch will become known as
Azd Uman after
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
.
Jafnah ibn 'Amr
Jafnah ibn Amr and his family, headed for
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 ...
where he settled and initiated the kingdom of the
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian state, Christian kingdom unde ...
who was so named after a spring of water where they stopped on their way to Syria.
Thalabah bin Amr
Thalabah bin Amr left his tribe Al-Azd for Hijaz and lived between
Thalabiyah and
Dhi Qar. When he gained strength, he headed for
Yathrib where he stayed. Of his seed are the great
Aws and
Khazraj, sons of Haritha bin Thalabah. Those will be the Muslim
Ansar and will produce the last Arab Dynasty in Spain (the
Nasrids).
Haritha bin Amr
Haritha bin Amr. Lead a branch of the Azd Qahtani tribes wandered with his tribe in Hijaz until they came to
Tihama. He has two sons Uday and Lahi, Uday father of
Bariq
Bariq (also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as Barik or Bareq, ) is a tribe from Bareq in south-west Saudi Arabia. It belongs to the ancient Al-Azd tribe which has many clans linked to it. As far as ancestry goes, Banu Aus, Aws, Khazraj, G ...
and lahi father of
Khuza'a.
Hamdan branches
Hashid and Bakil
Today still in the same ancient tribal form in Yemen
Hashid and
Bakil of Hamdan remained in the highlands North of Sana'a between Marib and Hajja'a.
Banu Yam
Banu Yam
Banu Yam (, ') is an Arabian tribe that belongs to the Qahtanite branch of Arabian tribes, specifically the group known as Banu Hamdan, and are, therefore, native to southwestern Arabia.
Their traditional way of life was well suited to life in ...
settled to the North of
Bakil in Najran (today in Saudi Arabia) it also branched into the tribes: the
Al Murrah
The Al Murrah () (singular 'Al Marri') are an Arab tribe descended from the Banu Yam tribe. They mainly reside in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. Historically, the Al Murrah were a tribe of camel- ...
and the
'Ujman of eastern Saudi Arabia and the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...
coast.
Banu Kathir
Banu Kathir moved to
Hadramut in the East of Yemen where they established their own sultanate.
Banu Al-Mashruki
Banu Al-Mashrouki settled in Lebanon producing well known Maronite influential families such as the
Awwad,
Massa'ad,
Al-Sema'ani,
Hasroun.
[ Al-Mashrouki in Hasroun]
Banu Al Harith remained in
Jabal Amil and were mainly Shia. A smaller group joined the Yemeni
Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
and were eventually pushed by
Kaysi Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
to
Jabal Al Druze in Syria.
Banu Lakhm
Under the leadership of Malik bin Uday bin Al-Harith bin Murr bin Add bin Zayed bin Yashjub bin Uraieb bin Zayed. They spread to the North mainly in Southern and Western Mesopotamia, Rafah, Golan, Hauran and they were the first Southern Arabs to settle Northern Egypt where they were later joined with the Sicasik,
Banu Judham and the
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian state, Christian kingdom unde ...
. The Lakhmids produced The
Abadi,
Ubadi and
Banu Bahr dynasties in Spain.
Other notable Lakhmid is the late Arab leader
Gamal Abdul Nasser from the Bani Mur of Banu Lakhm.
Banu Tayy
Led by
Usma bin Luai in their massive exodus out of
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
(115 BC), the
Tayy invaded the mountains of Ajaa and Salma from
Banu Assad and
Banu Tamim in northern Arabia. The Tayy became camel herders and horse breeders and lived a nomadic lifestyle in northern
Nejd for centuries. Because of their strength and blood relations with the
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
ite dynasties that came to rule
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 ...
(
Ghassan) and Iraq (the
Lakhmids
The Lakhmid kingdom ( ), also referred to as al-Manādhirah () or as Banū Lakhm (), was an Arab kingdom that was founded and ruled by the Lakhmid dynasty from to 602. Spanning Eastern Arabia and Sawad, Southern Mesopotamia, it existed as a d ...
), they expanded north into Iraq all the way to the capital at the time
al-Hirah
Al-Hira ( Middle Persian: ''Hērt'' ) was an ancient Lakhmid Arabic city in Mesopotamia located south of what is now Kufa in south-central Iraq.
The Sasanian Empire, Sasanian government established the Lakhmid state (Al-Hirah) on the edge of the ...
. Tayy later changed their name to
Shammar
The tribe of Shammar () is a tribal Arab Qahtanite confederation, descended from the Tayy, which migrated into the northern Arabian Peninsula from Yemen in the second century. It is the largest branch of the Tayy, and one of the largest and mos ...
, renaming the mountains of Ajaa and Salma to
Jabal Shammar (Shammar's Mountain).
Kinda branches
The
Kindah
Kinda or Kindah may refer to:
People
Given name
* Kinda Alloush (born 1982), Syrian actress
* Kinda El-Khatib (born 1996 or 1997), Lebanese activist
Surname
* Chris Kinda (born 1999), Namibian para-athlete
* Gadi Kinda (1994–2025), Isr ...
dwelt in the Bahrain but were expelled to East Yemen a group of them moved to
Nejd where they instituted a powerful government that was a vassal kingdom for
Himyar
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According to class ...
. They gradually declined After the fall of Himyar in 525 AD. The Kindites towns fell under constant bedouins raids from Nejd that eventually destroyed the
Kindites and they were absorbed into the Najdi tribal federations.
Banu Muayiya
Ruled much of northern Arabia and
Bahrain
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
. They were mostly affiliated with
Himyar
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According to class ...
and declined after its fall.
Banu Al-Sukun
Largely settled in Wadi Do'an east of
Hadramout and did not play a major rule in the Kendite kingdom. they had long lasting battles with the native tribes of hadramout.
Banu Al-Sakasek
Alongside Banu Al-Sukun, they fairly ruled
Hadramout.
Banu Al-Harith
Banu Al-Harith converted to
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
and ruled the city of
Najran
Najran ( '), is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Najran Province. Today, the city of Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As of the 2022 census, the city population was 381,431, wi ...
.
Ancient Arabian and Qahtani tribes that lived in Kahlan
Banu Amela
The
Banu Amela were the first South Arabian tribe to settle The Southern part of Mt Lebanon later known as
Jabal Amil, possibly as early as the 1st millennium BC.
Banu Judham
The
Banu Judham dwelt with
Lakhmids
The Lakhmid kingdom ( ), also referred to as al-Manādhirah () or as Banū Lakhm (), was an Arab kingdom that was founded and ruled by the Lakhmid dynasty from to 602. Spanning Eastern Arabia and Sawad, Southern Mesopotamia, it existed as a d ...
,
Azdis in Syria and later settled Northern Egypt with Lakhmids. They were a
Qahtani Yemeni tribe in alliance with the Kahlan tribes.
Sakasic
The
Sakasic were a
Himyarite
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
tribe that settled Northern Egypt around 3rd century AD. They settled the ancient town of
Bubastis in Egypt giving it its modern name
Zaqaziq after the name of their Yemeni Tribe Sakasic. Also its one of Egypt provinces.
Banu Quda'a
The
Banu 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 ...
were a
Himyarite
Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...
tribe that was exiled from Yemen following the trials of the Lakhmids and they settled The Southern part of the Lakhmid Kingdom in the
Samawa region.
Sources
* Almaqhafi, Awwad: ''Qabayl Wa Biton Al-Arab''
* Almsaodi, Abdulaziz; ''Tarikh Qabayl Al-Arab''
* ''TheArabHistory.Com, Website''
*History
Ibn Khaldoun
*History
Ibn al-Athir
*History
Ibn Hisham
*History
Al-Hamdani
{{Historical Arab tribes
Qahtanites
Tribes of Arabia
Yemeni tribes