Jafnah ibn 'Amr (Arabic: جفنة بن عمرو) or Jafna was the first of the Ghassanid rulers. He was succeeded by his son Amr ibn Jafnah who converted to Christianity.
| Jafnah ibn Amr | |
|---|---|
| King of the Ghassanids | |
| Reign | 220–265 CE |
| Predecessor | Position started |
| Successor | Amr ibn Jafnah |
| Died | c. 265 CE |
| House | Ghassanids |
| Father | Muzayqiya |
| Religion | South Arabian polytheism (possibly) |
Biography
editFamily
editJafnah is the son of the ancient Arabian king, Muzayqiya. His full lineage is given as Jafnah ibn 'Amr Muzayqiya ibn 'Amir Ma' as-Sama ibn Haritha ibn Imru' al-Qays ibn Tha'laba ibn Mazin ibn 'Azd, connecting his lineage to the historic Azd tribal group.[1] Jafnah had a brother named Tha'laba ibn 'Amr who would be the ancestor of the Aws and Khazraj tribes which dominated the Arabian city of Medina.[2]
Jafnah's son, 'Amr, became a Christian, and from there began the status of the Ghassanids as a Christian tribe and ruling dynasty.[1]
Rule
editThe reign of Jafnah ibn 'Amr has been dated to 220–265 CE, somewhere in the 3rd century CE.[3][4] Towards the end of this reign around 250 CE, Jafnah and his family may have migrated to Syria from Yemen as a result of the collapse of the Ma'rib Dam.[5]
Legacy
editJafnah was the ancestor of the Ghassanid line of rulers. In later years, the Ghassanid rulers would become powerful allies of the Byzantines.[6] Even after the decline of the Ghassanids in the 7th century CE, Christian and even Muslim ruling dynasties would claim to be descended from Jafnah.[7] Muslim dynasties who did such include the Rasulid dynasty (1229–1454) and also some of the sultans that were part of the Burji Mamluks.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Ibn Sa'id al-Andalusi. Nashwat al-Tarab fi Tarikh Jahiliat al-Arab. Amman, Jordan: Maktabat Al-Aqsa.
- ^ Ulrich, Brian (2019). Arabs in the Early Islamic Empire: Exploring al-Azd Tribal Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-3682-3.
- ^ Fisher, Greg (2018). "Jafnids". In Oliver Nicholson (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Vol. 2: J–Z. Oxford University Press. p. 804. ISBN 978-0-19-866277-8.
- ^ "Laws of Succession". Sovereign Imperial & Royal House of Ghassan. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
- ^ Hoberman, Barry (March–April 1983). "The King of Ghassan". Saudi Aramco World. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ Shahîd, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Vol. 1. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 978-0-88402-214-5.
- ^ Late Antiquity - Bowesock/Brown/Grabar, Harvard University Press, 1999, p. 469
- ^ Ghassan post Ghassan, Irfan Shahid, Festschrift "The Islamic World - From classical to modern times", for Bernard Lewis, Darwin Press 1989, p. 328