Ziyadid dynasty

The Ziyadid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty that ruled western Yemen from 819 until 1018 from the capital city of Zabid. It was the first dynastic regime to wield power over the Yemeni lowland after the introduction of Islam in about 630.

Muhammad ibn Ziyad was a descendant of Ziyad, younger brother of the first Umayyad caliph Muawiyah I. In 814 he was arrested and brought to the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun on account of his ancestry, but his life was spared in the end. He was merely placed under surveillance and became the protégé of the caliph's minister al-Fadl ibn Sahl. Three years later a letter from the governor of Yemen arrived to Baghdad, complaining about attacks by the Ash'arite and Akkite tribes. Al-Fadl recommended al-Ma'mun to send the capable Muhammad ibn Ziyad to Tihama in order to suppress the tribes. The situation was particularly critical since the Alids under a leader called Ibrahim al-Jazzar threatened to detach Yemen from Abbasid control at this time. Muhammad ibn Ziyad was a sworn enemy of the Alids, which made him a suitable choice for the task. After performing the hajj, Muhammad marched south to Yemen with an army of Khurasani soldiers and arrived there in 818. He fought numerous battles against the tribes and won control over the Tihama lowland in the next year.

Following his victories, Muhammad was appointed amir of Yemen by al-Ma'mun with the task to restrain 'Alid Shi'a influence. Muhammad established a new city, Zabid, as his capital. It was built in a circular shape and situated midway between the sea and the mountains. He was able to expand his influence into Hadramawt and parts of highland Yemen, all the while recognizing Abbasid overlordship. The historian Umara enumarates his possessions as including Hadramawt, Diyar Kindah, Shihr, Mirbat in Oman, Abyan, Lahij, Aden and the maritime provinces as far north as Hali, furthermore the highland places Janad, Mikhlaf al-Ma'afir, Mikhlaf Ja'far, San'a, Sa'dah, Najran and Bayhan. However, the sources are somewhat obscure since the historian al-Hamdani asserts that another family, Banu Shurah, exercised paramount power in the Tihama for parts of the ninth century and were established in Zabid. From other sources it appears that San'a in fact continued to be governed by an Abbasid governor up to 847.

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