Jabalah IV ibn al-Harith
Encyclopedia
Jabalah IV ibn al-Ḥārith, known also by the tecnonymic
Abū Shamir, in Greek
sources found as Gabalas , was a ruler of the Ghassanids
. At first an enemy of the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire
, he raided Palestine
but was defeated, becoming a Byzantine vassal in 502 until ca. 520, and again in 527 until his death.
(r. 491–518), when, according to Theophanes the Confessor
, the Diocese of Oriens suffered from large-scale Arab raids. The head of one of the Arab groups invading Byzantine territory was Jabalah, who raided Palestine before being defeated and driven back by the Byzantine dux Romanus. Romanus then also proceeded to evict the Ghassanids from the island of Iotabe (modern Tiran
), which controlled trade with the Red Sea
and which had been occupied by the Arabs since 473. After a series of hard-fought engagements, the island returned to Byzantine control.
In 502, Emperor Anastasius concluded a treaty of alliance with the Kindaites and Ghassanids, turning them into imperial allies (foederati
). With the outbreak of the Anastasian War
against Sassanid Persia, the Ghassanids fought on the Byzantine side, although only one operation, an attack against the Lakhmid capital of Hirah
in July 513, is explicitly attributed to them. The Ghassanids settled deep inside the Byzantine limes
, and in a Syriac source for July 519 they are attested as having their "opulent" headquarters at al-Jabiya (Gabitha) in the Gaulanitis (Golan Heights), where jabalah had succeeded his father as king over his tribe. With the rise of the pro-Chalcedonian
Justin I
(r. 518–527) to the imperial throne in 518 and the subsequent re-imposition of Chalcedonian orthodoxy throughout the Empire however, the staunchly Monophysite Ghassanids withdrew from the alliance in ca. 520 and retreated into the northern Hejaz
.
Not until the last year of Justin's reign was the alliance restored. Although the Ghassanids are not explicitly mentioned by the sources, Irfan Shahîd identifies Jabalah with the Arab phylarch
known with the nickname al-Aṣfar, rendered in Greek as Tapharas . This was the Arabic version of the honorary Roman gentilicum "Flavius
", which may have been awarded to Jabalah by the emperor upon his return to Byzantine allegiance; this identification however is not certain. In 528, the Ghassanids took part in the conflict with Persia and her Lakhmid Arab allies, first in a punitive expedition against the Lakhmid ruler Mundhir, and then in the battle of Thannuris under Belisarius
' command, where Jabalah/Tapharas was killed when he fell from his horse.
, the Arethas of the Byzantines, who succeeded him, Abu Karib who was phylarch
of the province of Palaestina III, and, as is apparent from his tecnonymic, an older son named Shamir, about whom nothing is known.
Kunya (Arabic)
A kunya is a teknonym, the name of an adult derived from their child, especially their eldest son, in Arabic names.A kunya is expressed by the use of abū or umm in a genitive construction, i.e "father of" or "mother of" as a honorific in place of or alongside given names in the Arab world and the...
Abū Shamir, in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
sources found as Gabalas , was a ruler of the Ghassanids
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids were a group of South Arabian Christian tribes that emigrated in the early 3rd century from Yemen to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the Holy Land....
. At first an enemy of the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, he raided Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
but was defeated, becoming a Byzantine vassal in 502 until ca. 520, and again in 527 until his death.
Life
Jabalah was the son of Al-Harith (Arethas in Greek sources) and grandson of the sheikh Tha'laba. He first appears in the historical sources in 498 during the reign of Byzantine emperor Anastasius IAnastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
(r. 491–518), when, according to Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
, the Diocese of Oriens suffered from large-scale Arab raids. The head of one of the Arab groups invading Byzantine territory was Jabalah, who raided Palestine before being defeated and driven back by the Byzantine dux Romanus. Romanus then also proceeded to evict the Ghassanids from the island of Iotabe (modern Tiran
Tiran Island
Tiran is an Egyptian-administered island that belongs to Egypt and is being claimed by Saudi Arabia. It is located at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba. It has an area of about 80 km2...
), which controlled trade with the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and which had been occupied by the Arabs since 473. After a series of hard-fought engagements, the island returned to Byzantine control.
In 502, Emperor Anastasius concluded a treaty of alliance with the Kindaites and Ghassanids, turning them into imperial allies (foederati
Foederati
Foederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
). With the outbreak of the Anastasian War
Anastasian War
The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the two empires over the next century.-Prelude:Several...
against Sassanid Persia, the Ghassanids fought on the Byzantine side, although only one operation, an attack against the Lakhmid capital of Hirah
Al-Hirah
Al Hīra was an ancient city located south of al-Kufah in south-central Iraq.- Middle Ages:Al Hīra was a significant city in pre-Islamic Arab history. Originally a military encampment, in the 5th and 6th centuries CE it became the capital of the Lakhmids.The Arabs were migrating into the Near East...
in July 513, is explicitly attributed to them. The Ghassanids settled deep inside the Byzantine limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
, and in a Syriac source for July 519 they are attested as having their "opulent" headquarters at al-Jabiya (Gabitha) in the Gaulanitis (Golan Heights), where jabalah had succeeded his father as king over his tribe. With the rise of the pro-Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian
Chalcedonian describes churches and theologians which accept the definition given at the Council of Chalcedon of how the divine and human relate in the person of Jesus Christ...
Justin I
Justin I
Justin I was Byzantine Emperor from 518 to 527. He rose through the ranks of the army and ultimately became its Emperor, in spite of the fact he was illiterate and almost 70 years old at the time of accession...
(r. 518–527) to the imperial throne in 518 and the subsequent re-imposition of Chalcedonian orthodoxy throughout the Empire however, the staunchly Monophysite Ghassanids withdrew from the alliance in ca. 520 and retreated into the northern Hejaz
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
.
Not until the last year of Justin's reign was the alliance restored. Although the Ghassanids are not explicitly mentioned by the sources, Irfan Shahîd identifies Jabalah with the Arab phylarch
Phylarch
A phylarch is a Greek title meaning "ruler of a tribe", from phyle, "tribe" + archein "to rule".In Classical Athens, a phylarch was the elected commander of the cavalry provided by each of the city's ten tribes....
known with the nickname al-Aṣfar, rendered in Greek as Tapharas . This was the Arabic version of the honorary Roman gentilicum "Flavius
Flavius
Flavius was a gens of ancient Rome, meaning "blond". The feminine form was Flavia.After the end of the popular Flavian dynasty of emperors, Flavius/Flavia became a praenomen, common especially among royalty: the adoption of this praenomen by Constantine I set a precedent for some imperial...
", which may have been awarded to Jabalah by the emperor upon his return to Byzantine allegiance; this identification however is not certain. In 528, the Ghassanids took part in the conflict with Persia and her Lakhmid Arab allies, first in a punitive expedition against the Lakhmid ruler Mundhir, and then in the battle of Thannuris under Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
' command, where Jabalah/Tapharas was killed when he fell from his horse.
Family
Jabalah's wife appears to have been Māriya, who was according to Arabic tradition a famous Kindite princess. From her he had at least three sons: the famous Al-Harith ibn JabalahAl-Harith ibn Jabalah
Al-Ḥārith ibn Jabalah , [Flavios] Arethas in Greek sources and Khalid ibn Jabalah in later Islamic sources, was a king of the Ghassanids, a pre-Islamic Arab people who lived on the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire. The fifth Ghassanid ruler of that name, he reigned from ca...
, the Arethas of the Byzantines, who succeeded him, Abu Karib who was phylarch
Phylarch
A phylarch is a Greek title meaning "ruler of a tribe", from phyle, "tribe" + archein "to rule".In Classical Athens, a phylarch was the elected commander of the cavalry provided by each of the city's ten tribes....
of the province of Palaestina III, and, as is apparent from his tecnonymic, an older son named Shamir, about whom nothing is known.