Tasm and Jadis (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: طسم وجديس) were two extinct Arab tribes that dominated the region of

Al-Yamama Al-Yamama () is a historical region in south-eastern Najd in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Only a handful of centralized states ever arose in the Yamama, but it figured prominently in early Islamic history, becoming a central theater in the Ridd ...

in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

during ancient times. They are traditionally believed to have been descended from

Shem Shem (; ''Šēm''; ) is one of the sons of Noah in the Bible ( Genesis 5–11 and 1 Chronicles 1:4). The children of Shem are Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram, in addition to unnamed daughters. Abraham, the patriarch of Jews, Christ ...

, the son of the biblical patriarch

Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...

. Tasm and Jadis were active from around approximately 110 BCE until they were both entirely wiped out by the

Himyarite Kingdom 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 ...

in the 6th century CE.

Tribal lineage

The tribes are believed to have been descended from the similarly-named Tasm and Jadis, two Arabian patriarchs who are the grandsons of

. There is a difference in opinion of the father of Tasm and Jadis; while it is believed that Tasm is a son of Lud, there is dispute whether Jadis was a son of Lud or a son of Aram. The

Buyid The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

-period philosopher and historian, Miskawayh, stated that both patriarchs were the sons of Lud.

History

The tribes of Tasm and Jadis are believed to have already settled in the area by 110 BCE. They were contemporary to other Arabian tribes like the

Amalek Amalek (; ) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the enemy of the nation of the Israelites. The name "Amalek" can refer to the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, or anyone who lived in their territories in Canaan, or North African descend ...

, 'Ad, and

Thamud The Thamud () were an ancient tribe or tribal confederation in pre-Islamic Arabia that occupied the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. They are attested in contemporaneous Mesopotamian and Classical inscriptions, as well as Arabic ones from the e ...

. They settled together in the region of

in the

, where they became a civilisation and an independent kingdom. Yaqut al-Hamawi mentions that both Tasm and Jadis had built several palaces and fortresses in Al-Yamama that were eventually taken over and used by the

Banu Hanifa Banu Hanifa () is an ancient Arab tribe inhabiting the area of al-Yamama in the central region of modern-day Saudi Arabia. The tribe belongs to the great Rabi'ah branch of North Arabian tribes, which also included Abdul Qays, Taghlib, al-N ...

tribe after the Tasm and Jadis had become extinct.

Extinction

By the 6th century CE, the Tasm tribe prevailed over the Jadis. Both tribes were ruled by a king named Imliq, who had a policy of

Droit du seigneur ('right of the lord'), also known as ('right of the first night'), sometimes referred to as ''prima nocta'', was a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, allowing feudal lords to have sexual relations with any female subject, particularly o ...

where he would deflower the virgins of Jadis before their marriage. Another tradition states that the king implemented a law which granted him full control the trade routes. Whatever the case, Jadis was unhappy with their ruler, Imliq; and one day when the king was invited to a special performance, several men from the Jadis revealed their swords from the sand and then pounced upon Imliq, killing him. The Jadis tribe was ignorant of the incoming Himyarite armies; despite constant warnings from a woman from their own tribe that they would be invaded, they ignored her and did not believe her. At last the force of Himyarites entered Al-Yamama and killed all of the unprepared Jadis tribe, except for the children who were taken into slavery. At some point of time, the Tasm tribe also became extinct. Both Tasm and Jadis have been listed as amongst the al-Arab al-Ba'ida (extinct Arabian tribes) by some scholars, such as

Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri (6 June 1942 – 1 December 2006)Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum Pdf
...

and Mostafa Saadeq Al-Rafe'ie.

Legacy

The lives of the Tasm and Jadis, as told in the Arabian traditions, were adapted into a live-action drama series known as ''Akher Ayyam Al Yamama'' (The Last Days of Al Yamama), starring Ghassan Massoud. The Jordanian-origin series was first released in 2005 and has 30 episodes in total. It focuses on the rivalries and conflicts within both tribes which eventually leads to their destruction.

Notes

References