Key Pages:
Home
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]
The Qaramita were a problematic Shi'i tribe from Bahrayn that sought to undermine the authority of the Abbasid caliphate. They launched many raids on Abbasid territory and are best known for the sacking of the coastal Iraqi city of Basra and the theft of the sacred black stone of the Ka'aba. These events, along with the compromised security of the hajj, diminished the Abbasids' authority as the defenders of Islam.
The Qaramita also posed problems for the Fatimid caliphate of Egypt, whose relationship with the rogue tribe was characterized be frequent conflict and occasional alliances. The caliphate did manage to negotiate the return of the sacred black stone to the Ka'aba, however. Additionally, the Fatimids were also able to neutralize the Qaramita threat to Syria through the payment of a large sum.
Posted at Apr 12/2009 09:35AM:
ian: Sectarianism is seemingly an endless problem for establishing cultural and political hegemony.