republic · Arabia and the Gulf
Qarmatians of Bahrain
Origins
In 899 the missionary Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi, preaching the coming of the Mahdi, won over Bedouin and peasants in eastern Arabia, then called Bahrain, and took al-Ahsa and Qatif. His state broke with the Fatimid Caliphate's claims to leadership and became a separate Qarmatian power.
Rule and society
After Abu Sa'id, the state was governed by a council of his descendants and leading men. Visitors such as Nasir Khusraw reported that citizens paid no taxes, debts were interest free and thousands of African slaves worked the date groves. Under Abu Tahir the Qarmatians raided Basra and Kufa, attacked pilgrim caravans and in 930 sacked Mecca, carrying the Black Stone to al-Ahsa until 951.
Decline and legacy
Their power declined after defeats by the Fatimids and the Buyids and the loss of Oman. In 1077 Abd Allah al-Uyuni, a local chief, overthrew them with help from the Seljuk Empire and founded the Uyunid Emirate.
Lineage
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- Ukhaydirid Emirate paid tribute to Qarmatians of Bahrain930 CE – 1050 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qarmatians of Bahrain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qarmatians-of-bahrain
- MLA
- “Qarmatians of Bahrain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qarmatians-of-bahrain. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Qarmatians of Bahrain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qarmatians-of-bahrain.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qarmatians of Bahrain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qarmatians-of-bahrain (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻