kingdom · Anatolia and the Levant
Ghassanids
Origins
The Ghassanids were part of the Azd, a tribal group that migrated north from South Arabia. Entering Roman territory in the late 5th century, they defeated the Salihids and around 502 made a treaty with the emperor Anastasius that made them the empire's chief Arab allies in Syria and Arabia.
Rule and society
Justinian made al-Harith ibn Jabala supreme phylarch and king over all Rome's Arab allies around 529 to counter the Lakhmids, Persia's clients; he killed the Lakhmid king al-Mundhir III in battle in 554. The Ghassanids moved between camps such as Jabiyah in the Golan, built churches and towers, and fervently supported Miaphysite Christianity, obtaining the consecration of Jacob Baradaeus as bishop. Their court attracted Arabic poets such as al-Nabigha and Hassan ibn Thabit.
Decline and legacy
In 581 the emperor Maurice arrested al-Mundhir ibn al-Harith and exiled him to Sicily, and the confederation fragmented. Partly revived under Heraclius, the Ghassanids fought for Byzantium at Yarmuk in 636; afterwards some accepted Islam and others, led by Jabala ibn al-Ayham, withdrew into Anatolia.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Ghassanids was a vassal of Byzantine Empire502 CE – 636 CE
- Ghassanids was conquered by Rashidun Caliphate638 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ghassanids. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ghassanids
- MLA
- “Ghassanids.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ghassanids. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ghassanids.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ghassanids.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ghassanids’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ghassanids (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻