South Arabia as a general term refers to several regions as currently recognized, in chief the
Republic of Yemen; yet it has historically also included
Najran,
Jizan, and
'Asir which are presently in
Saudi Arabia, and
Dhofar presently in
Oman. The frontiers of
South Arabia as generally conceived include the historic peoples speaking the related
South Arabian languages as well as dialects of Arabic in
South Arabia, and partaking of its traditions and culture, which would considerably overlap recently settled political boundaries. Yemen or
al-yaman means "the south".
[1] Three thousand years ago several different state entities occupied the region of
South Arabia, e.g.,
M'ain,
Qataban,
Hadhramaut,
Saba.
[2] In ancient times
South Arabia claimed several notable features, e.g., the famous
dam at Marib, the cosmopolitan
incense trade, as well as the legendary
Queen of Sheba.
[3] Two thousand years ago the
Himyarites became master of
South Arabia for several centuries, until displaced by the armies of
Axum which landed from nearby Ethiopia; after a long rule by the
Ethiopians, the
Sasanid Persians came also arriving by sea.
[4] A half-century later, in the year 6 A.H., the region became
Muslim.
[5] History of South Arabia as History of Yemen:
