tribal confederation · Arabia and the Gulf

Qedarites

850 BCE – 300 BCE (approx.) · capital Dumat al-Jandal

The most powerful Arab tribal confederation of the first millennium BCE, controlling desert routes from Syria to the oases of north Arabia.

Origins

The Qedarites (biblical Kedar) appear in Assyrian records from the 8th century BCE as camel-herding Arabs of the Syrian desert and northern Arabia. Their centre was the oasis of Adummatu, modern Dumat al-Jandal, which held the shrine of their gods. Queen Zabibe paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser III in 738 BCE, followed by Queen Samsi.

Rule and society

They were led by kings and, unusually, by queens who also served as priestesses, among them Te'elhunu. The confederation controlled caravan routes carrying incense from south Arabia to the Levant and supplied camels and guides to imperial armies. Repeated revolts brought punitive campaigns: Sennacherib seized their idols, and Ashurbanipal fought Yauta son of Hazael in the 7th century BCE.

Decline and legacy

Under the Achaemenid Empire the Qedarites kept their autonomy; Geshem the Arab, opponent of Nehemiah, and his son Qaynu, named king of Qedar on a silver bowl from Egypt, date to the 5th century BCE. By the 3rd century BCE their place was taken by the Nabataean Kingdom.

Connections (2)

More states of Arabia and the Gulf →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Qedarites. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qedarites
MLA
“Qedarites.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qedarites. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Qedarites.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qedarites.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Qedarites’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/qedarites (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻