Rasulid dynasty

Yemen, 1229–1454. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Rasulid dynasty was a Sunni Yemeni dynasty that ruled Yemen from 1229 to 1454. The Rasulid era is often considered one of the most brilliant in the history of Yemen. The Rasulid state nurtured Yemen's commercial links with India and the Far East. In 1454 the last Rasulid sultan, al-Mas'ud Abu al-Qasim, gave up his throne in favour of az-Zafir Amir bin Tahir and withdrew to Mecca.

Seat of power: Old City of Taiz

No rulers documented for this era yet.

Culture

• Most of the rulers built mosques and madrasas, embellishing Ta'izz and other cities with fine buildings.
• There were mints in several cities and the coins were characterized by symbols for each mint: fish for Aden, bird for Zabid, sitting man for Ta'izz, and lion for al-Mahjam.
• The sultans drew much of their income from taxes and customs revenues from the ports.

Picture

Al-Ashrafiya Mosque is a historical madrasa-mosque in the old city of Taiz, at the foot of Mount Sabr.

Image: Ljuba brank, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sources

• Rasulid dynasty (Wikipedia)
• Rasulid dynasty (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.