The Uyunid Emirate () was a historical

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 ...

emirate centered in al-Hasa that ruled over most of

eastern Arabia Eastern Arabia () is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province), and the United Arab ...

and Najd. The Uyunid dynasty, which belonged to the Banu Abd al-Qays tribe, ruled the emirate from 1076 until it was overthrown by the Usfurids in 1238. The emirate was established after the Uyunids took control from the Qarmatians.

History

Expansion

Under Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Abu'l-Hussin b. Abu Sinan, the territory of the Uyunid Emirate extended from Najd to the Syrian desert. Because of the influence of the Uyunid Emirate, Caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah gave Muhammad b. Ahmad the authority to protect the pilgrimage route to

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 ...

. However, Muhammad was later assassinated by a family member at the instigation of his cousin, Gharir b. Shukr b. Ali. From 587 to 605, H. Mohammed bin Abi Al-Hussain united Qatif and Al-Hasa.

Geography

The region known as Bahrain, located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, included the southern area of

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

along the coast of 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 ...

. It also included the territories of

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, al-Hasa, Qatif,

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, and the

Awal AWAL (shortened from Artists Without A Label) is a global recording business that claims to serve as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists with the resources and expertise of a global label ...

Islands, now known as

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 ...

, the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, and Oman. The territory of the Uyunid Emirate extended from Najd to the Syrian desert. Through the influence of the Uyunid Emirate and the decree of Caliph al-Nasir li-Din Allah, Muhammad b. Ahmad was given the authority to secure the pilgrimage route to Mecca. The Uyunid dynasty was an

dynasty that ruled the Uyunid Emirate for nearly 200 years, from the 11th to the 13th centuries. They were the remnants of the Bani Abdul Qays tribe and seized control of the country from the Qarmatians between 1077 and 1078 with the military assistance of the Seljuk Empire.C.E. Bosworth, ''The New Islamic Dynasties'', (Columbia University Press, 1996), 94-95.

Economy

The economy of the Uyunids was based on

pearl diving Pearl hunting, also known as pearl fishing or pearling, is the activity of recovering or attempting to recover pearls from wild Mollusca, molluscs, usually oysters or mussels, in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in India and Jap ...

, which was its main economic activity, along with

trade routes A trade route is a Logistics, logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing Good (economics and accounting ...

Demographics

Language

The Uyunid dynasty is believed to have been the last state in which the population spoke

classical Arabic Classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic () is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notably in Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid literary texts such as poetry, e ...

Religion

The Uyunid sect claims that they were Shi'ites. According to Nakash, the populations of Bahrain, Hasa, and Qatif may have converted to

Twelver Shi'ism Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the largest branch of Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as ...

during this period.

Culture

Literature

Ali bin al-Mugrab al-Uyuni was a poet from al-Hasa who died in 630 AH (1232 AD). He was one of the last known poets who specialized in hair systems and was eloquent among the people of the Arabian Peninsula before the modern era. Al-Uyuni's lineage can be traced back to Abdul Qays, who ruled Ahsa during that period after it was liberated from the Qarmatians. Al-Uyuni was a poet and his works, along with his explanations, are considered one of the most important sources in the history of this state.

Architecture

The Khamis Mosque is considered to be the first mosque in

, built during the reign of the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

Caliph Umar II. According to '' Al Wasat'' journalist Kassim Hussain, other sources suggest that it was built later, during the reign of the

Uyunids The Uyunid dynasty () were an Arab dynasty that ruled Eastern Arabia for 163 years, from the 11th to the 13th centuries. Their sect is disputed; some sources mention they were Shia, others Sunni. They were, like the majority of the people of Ea ...

, with one

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

. The second minaret was added two centuries later, during the reign of the Usfurids. The identical twin minarets of this ancient Islamic monument make it easy to spot when driving along ''Shaikh Salman Road'' in Khamis. The Khamis Mosque is believed to be one of the oldest in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

, with some sources claiming that it was founded in 692 AD. However, an inscription found on the site suggests that it was actually founded sometime in the 11th century. The mosque underwent two reconstructions in the 14th and 15th centuries, during which the

s were added. Recently, the Khamis Mosque has been partially restored.
''The Middle East, p.6''

References

Sources

* Gulf and east of the Arabian Peninsula named: the territory of the country of Bahrain under the rule of the Arab states. D. Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil. Madbouli library . I: 2006. {{ISBN, 977-208-592-5 * Abdelkader Statistical: masterpiece beneficiary on Ahsa in the old and the new, the achievement Hamad Al-Jasser Riyadh 1960. Former countries in West Asia Former empires Uyunid dynasty Arab dynasties States and territories disestablished in the 1230s