12 chapter one
After some intriguing events, attractively mentioned in the verses,
the Qur"àn tells us that she eventually joined King Solomon in wor-
shiping his one true God (Qur"àn 27:20–44).
Ma"in
The second kingdom in South Arabia was Ma"in (biblical Ma"on,
Me"un and Me"in), meaning spring-water. The Minean period lasted
from about 700 B.C. to 70 B.C. (ibid.). The kingdom was famous
of its produce of frankincense and other aromatic products, which
were of importance for temple worship. For the Egyptians in par-
ticular, they were also used for mummification. Like the Sabaean,
the kingdom began as a theocracy and ended up secularised. The
Minaean kingdom also occupied an important place on the trade
route.
Qatabàn and Œadramawt
The other remaining kingdoms were Qatabàn and Œadramawt. The
former lasted from about 400 B.C. to 50 B.C. while the latter lasted
from about 450 B.C. to the end of the first century A.C. (ibid.).
These two kingdoms though were overshadowed by the Sabaeans
and the Minaeans, who played an important role in organising the
spice trade
Starting from 115 B.C. the four kingdoms were under a new
influence, that of the tribe of Œimyar which emerged from south
west Arabia. The first Œimyarite kingdom lasted until about 300
A.C. The Œimyarites who inherited the Sabeo-Minaean trade had
the same culture and language as that of the Sabaeans. The socio-
economic structure of the Sabaeo-Œimyarite community consisted of
a mixture of the tribal system, caste stratification and feudal aris-
tocracy and monarchy (Hitti, 1963). At about 300 A.C., which marked
the beginning of the second Œimyarite kingdom, the Œimyarites
annexed Œadramawt and Qatabàn and continued ruling South Arabia,
with a short interruption by an Abyssinian occupation from 340
A.C. to 378 A.C., until the beginning of the sixth century A.C (ibid.).
The period, however, was one of winds of change religiously and
politically.
A Change of Faith and Fate
Religious factors had played a decisive role in determining the des-
tiny of South Arabia, or al-Yemen as it was known by then, from