Asad al-Dīn Abū Shihāb Thaqabah ibn Rumaythah ibn Muḥammad Abī Numayy al-Ḥasanī () was

Emir of Mecca The Sharif of Mecca () was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the Holiest sites in Islam, Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The term ''sharif'' is Arabic for "noble", "highborn", and is used to desc ...

six times between 1344 and 1361.

Biography

Thaqabah was the son of

Rumaythah ibn Abi Numayy Asad al-Dīn Rumaythah ibn Muḥammad Abī Numayy al-Akbar al-Ḥasanī () was Emir of Mecca seven times between 1301 and 1345. Background Rumaythah was one of 30 sons of Abu Numayy I, who ruled Mecca between 1254 and 1301. His ''laqab'' was Asad ...

. In 744 AH (1343/1344) Thaqabah and his brother Ajlan purchased the Emirate of Mecca from their father for 60,000

dirham The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Moroccan dirham, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates dirham, United Arab Emirates and Armenian dram, Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivisi ...

s. Soon afterwards, Thaqabah went to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

in response to summons from Sultan al-Salih Isma'il while Ajlan remained in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. In Dhu al-Qi'dah 744 AH (March/April 1344) news reached Mecca that al-Salih had arrested Thaqabah and returned the Emirate to Rumaythah. Thaqabah was later released and returned to Mecca. In 746 AH (1345) Ajlan became Emir of Mecca and expelled Thaqabah to Wadi Nakhlah. Later that year Thaqabah was arrested in Egypt with his brothers Sanad and Mughamis. In 747 AH (1346/1347) or 748 AH (1347/1348) Sultan al-Kamil Sha'ban released Thaqabah, Sanad, and Mughamis and appointed them co-rulers with Ajlan. In 750 AH Thaqabah ousted Ajlan from the Emirate. On 5 Shawwal 750 AH () Ajlan retook the Emirate from his brothers and Thaqabah traveled to Yemen. In 752 AH (1351) Thaqabah established himself at al-Jadid in opposition to his brother in Mecca. That year the Sultan summoned them both to Egypt; they traveled separately but Ajlan turned back at

Yanbu Yanbu (), also known as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Medina Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 31,800 (2025 census). Many residents are foreign expatriates wo ...

. Thaqabah reached

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and was appointed Emir of Mecca in place of his brother. He returned to Mecca in Dhu al-Qi'dah 752 AH (December 1351 / January 1352) with 50

mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

s but Ajlan prevented him from entering the city. Thaqabah waited at Khulays until the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

arrived. After mediation by the Egyptian amir al-rakab, Ajlan agreed to share the Emirate with Thaqabah. In 753 AH (1352) Thaqabah deposed Ajlan. He reigned until Dhu al-Hijjah 754 AH (January 1353) when the Egyptian amir al-rakab Umar Shah arrested him and installed Ajlan to the Emirate. Thaqabah was imprisoned in Egypt until 756 AH (1355), when the ''amir al-'arab'' Fayyad ibn Muhanna interceded for him. In Muharram 757 AH (January 1356) Ajlan and Thaqabah reconciled and divided the Emirate between them. On 13 Jumada al-Akhir () Thaqabah deposed Ajlan, but when the Hajj arrived (November 1356) Ajlan reentered Mecca and Thaqabah fled to Yemen. In Dhu al-Hijjah 758 AH (November 1357) the brothers again reconciled and agreed to rule in partnership. In Jumada al-Awwal 760 AH (April 1359) Sultan al-Nasir Hasan summoned them both to appear before him but they did not do so. The following month they received word that al-Nasir had deposed them and appointed in their place their brother Sanad and their cousin Muhammad ibn Utayfah. Ajlan proposed to Thaqabah that they each give 400 camels to secure the allegiance of the Banu Hasan and preserve their rule. Thaqabah rejected Ajlan's proposal, and Ibn Utayfah assumed the Emirate when he arrived with Egyptian forces in late Jumada al-Akhir (May 1359). After the Hajj of 761 AH (October/November 1359) Ibn Utayfah departed with the Egyptian army, and Thaqabah took his place as co-ruler with Sanad. In 762 AH Ajlan was released from prison and appointed Emir of Mecca alongside Thaqabah. He arrived in Ramadan and met Thaqabah at Wadi Marr, but Thaqabah was ill and died there, either in Ramadan or early Shawwal (July/August 1361). He was buried in the Ma'lah cemetery, near his father Rumaythah.

Issue

Thaqabah had four sons: Ahmad, Hasan, Ali, and Mubarak. He also had a daughter, Fatimah.

Notes

References

* * {{S-end 14th-century Arab people Banu Qatadah Sharifs of Mecca