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{{Short description|Confederation of Arab tribes}}{{About|the Arab tribe|the branch of this tribe in Mount Lebanon commonly known as the Tanukh|Buhturids}}

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The Tanûkhids (), Tanukh (), or Banū Tanūkh (, romanized as: {{transl|ar|Banū Tanūḫ}}) were a confederation of Arab tribes, sometimes characterized as Saracens. They first rose to prominence in northern Arabia and southern Syria in the 2nd century CE. Both Lakhmid and Tanukhid inscriptions have been found at Umm el-Jimal in Jordan and Namara in Syria. The ancient Tanukh tribal confederation was largely taken over by several branches of the large Azd and Quda'a tribes. Their main base during the time of their most famous ruler, Queen Mavia, was in Aleppo.Ball, Warwick (2001), Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-11376-8}} p. 98-102 During the 8th and 9th centuries, the Tanukhid strongholds were the cities of Qinnasrin and Maarat al-Numan.{{Historical Arab states and dynasties}}

History

In the late 2nd century, a branch of the tribe of Azd, from Southern Arabia, migrated to al-Hasa where Tanukhids were settling. The Azdies allied with the Tanukhids, becoming part of the confederation.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} The two sheikhs (tribal leaders) gave up the rule to Malik ibn Fahm (196–231), who led them into what is now Iraq and Syria, and after skirmishing with other tribes in the area, he controlled all of Jordan, and parts of Iraq, he was succeeded by his brother 'Amr ibn Fahm who reigned for a short period, and after him Jadhima ibn Malik reigned (233–268). After Jadhima's death, he was succeeded by his sister's son 'Amr ibn Adi, a Lakhmid, because Jadhima had no sons, thus establishing the Lakhmid dynasty. Other Tanukhids settled in Syria.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} 'Amr ibn 'Adi is claimed in the Arab legends to have been the sole victor in the war against Zenobia's Palmyrene Empire, but these myths "are probably an amalgam of fact and fiction."Southern, P. (2008) Zenobia: Palmyra's Rebel Queen, Continuum, London, p.108 It is clear, however, that the Tanukhids played a key role in the defeat of Zenobia's forces by Emperor Aurelian.In the 4th century AD, the Tanukhids became the first Arab tribe to serve as foederati (allies) in the Roman East.BOOK, Mohammad Rihan, The Politics and Culture of an Umayyad Tribe: Conflict and Factionalism in the Early Islamic Period, 30 May 2014, I.B.Tauris, 9781780765648, 43, Their territory spanned from Syria in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, areas into which they had migrated from southern Arabia after the rise of Sassanian influence in Yemen a century earlier. They are reported to have been devoted to Christianity, Thomas the ApostleBOOK, Gabriel Said Reynolds, The Emergence of Islam: Classical Traditions in Contemporary Perspective, 2012, Fortress Press, 9781451408126, The Tanukhids (whose territory spread from southwestern Iraq to southern Syria) were known for their devotion to Saint Thomas..., and monasticism, with many monasteries associated with the tribe.BOOK, Irfan Shahid, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Volume 2, Part 2, 2010, Harvard University Press, 9780884023470, 134, illustrated, In 378, their Queen Mavia led them in a revolt against Emperor Valens. A truce was struck and was respected for a time, with Mavia even sending a fleet of cavalry in response to Roman requests for assistance in staving off an attack by the Goths. The alliance crumbled under Theodosius I, with the Tanukhids again revolting against Roman rule.Ball, 2001, pp. 97-102The Tanukhids were Christianised in the 3rd or 4th centuries, likely while in the eastern half of the fertile crescent, and by the 4th century they were described as having a "fanatic zeal for Christianity" and were "zealous Christian soldiers" in the 6th century.BOOK, Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century, 1 Jan 1984, Dumbarton Oaks, 9780884021162, 419, 422, illustrated, reprint, In the 7th century, during the Muslim conquest of the Levant, the Tanukhids fought with the Romans against the Muslims, including in the Battle of Yarmouk. After Yarmouk, their status as foederati ended.BOOK, Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Bernard Lewis, Johannes Hendrik Kramers, Charles Pellat, Joseph Schacht, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Volume 10, Parts 163-178, 1998, Brill, 191–2, They were described as an "autonomous Christian community in Bilad al-Sham" up until the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi ({{reign|775|785}}), after which they appear as Muslims. Their conversion to Islam is believed to have been forced upon them by al-Mahdi.BOOK, Irfan Shahid, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Volume 2, Part 2, 2010, Harvard University Press, 9780884023470, 430, illustrated, BOOK, Lia van Midden, Polyphonia Byzantina: Studies in Honour of Willem J. Aerts, 1993, Egbert Forsten, 9789069800547, 70, In the 11th century, the Tanukhids of Mount Lebanon inaugurated the Druze community in Lebanon, when most of them accepted and adopted the new message, due to their leadership's close ties with then Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.BOOK, William Harris, Lebanon: A History, 600-2011, 19 Jul 2012, Oxford University Press, 9780195181111, 46, illustrated, In the 14th century, the central parts of Mount Lebanon were described as a Tanukhid stronghold, housing both Druze and Shiite Muslims.BOOK, Barut, Mohammed Jamal, حملات كسروان في التاريخ السياسي لفتاوى ابن تيمية, January 2017, المركز العربي للأبحاث ودراسة السياسات, 9786144451366,weblink Members of the Tanukhids in Mount Lebanon include Al-Sayyid al-Tanukhi, a prominent 15th century Druze theologian and commentator; and Muhammad bin al-Muwaffaq al-Tanukhi, an emir and Shiite Muslim who lived in the 13th century.BOOK, Yunini, Abu'l-Fath, Dhayl Mir'at Al Zaman,weblink Arabic,

See also

• Queen Mavia
• Azd
• Iturea

References

{{Reflist|2}}

Bibliography

• {{Citation|title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire|first1=Warwick|last1=Ball|year=2001|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-11376-8}}

Further reading

• Shahîd, Rome and the Arabs: a Prolegomenon to the Study of Byzantium and the Arabs (Washington: Dumbarton Oaks) 1984. The opening volume of Shahîd's multi-volume history of Byzantium and the Arabs.

{{Historical Arab tribes}}{{Barbarian kingdoms}}{{Authority control}}