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Ash-Sharāt or Ash-Sharāh (Arabic: ٱلشَّرَاة, also known as Bilād ash-Sharāt (Arabic: بِلَاد ٱلشَّرَاة) or Jibāl ash-Sharāt (Arabic: جِبَال ٱلشَّرَاة), is a highland region in modern-day southern Jordan and northwestern Saudi Arabia. It was formerly a sub-district in Bilad al-Sham during the 7th–11th centuries CE.^[1]^[2]^[3]

It roughly corresponds to the biblical Mount Seir.^[4]

Geography

In modern-day Jordan, the region of Al-Sharat starts immediately south of Wadi Mujib. The northern range contains mountains with peaks up to 1,200 meters above sea level, while to the south the mountains get as high as 1,500 metres (4,900 feet) above sea level. The principal city of Bilad al-Sharat is Al-Karak. The northern part of the region in Jordan is under the administration of the Karak Governorate, while the more arid part south of Wadi Arabah comes under the Ma'an Governorate.^[3]

In the 9th century, Al-Sharat's capital was Adhruh, but by the late 10th century, it apparently was replaced by Sughar (Zoar). Other principal towns in the district included Tabuk, Ma'an (Mu'an), Madyan, Aynunah (on the northern Red Sea coast), Wayla (Ayla) and Maab (Rabba).^[5]

History

From the beginning of the Muslim conquest of the Levant, Al-Sharat formed the southern kurah (district) of Jund Dimashq (Province of Damascus), until the late 9th century, after which it became part of Jund Filastin (Province of Palestine).^[3]^[5] It was the Tulunids who first attached Al-Sharat to Filastin for practical purposes, as the district was closer to Filastin than Damascus.^[3] In 985, during the late Abbasid period, the Jerusalemite geographer Al-Muqaddasi described Al-Sharat as its own district, neither belonging to Dimashq nor Filastin, in the larger province of Bilad al-Sham (Islamic Syria).^[5]

The district of Al-Sharat was contiguous with Al-Jibal, which was considered to be the actual "mountains of Edom". Persian geographer Al-Istakhri (d. 957) described the Palestinian districts as "extremely fertile and rich" and dominated by marauding Bedouin tribes.^[5] In the late 10th century, the old-established Yamani tribes of Lakhm and Judham were engaged in a struggle over dominance of Al-Sharat with newcomers from the tribe of Tayy.^[2] Though information about the Fatimid administration over the Levant is vague, Caliph Al-Aziz (975–996) may have made Al-Sharat (south of Wadi Mujib) its own province which lasted until the Crusader invasion in the early 12th century.^[1]

The Crusaders annexed Al-Sharat in the 1110s. Initially, it was part of the royal demesne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but in 1126, the feudal lordship of Oultrejordain was formed out of the former district of Al-Sharat. Its jurisdiction extended from the Zarqa River in the north to the Red Sea in the south. The Crusaders built the fortresses of Montreal (Shawbak) in 1115 and Crac (Al-Karak) in 1145.^[1]^[3] Both became major centers of the lordship. By the mid-12th century, the inhabitants of Al-Sharat were mainly Bedouin from various Qaysi tribes. At that time, the Muslim geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi (d. 1165) wrote about the fertility of the district and that it produced an abundance of olives, almonds, figs, grapes and pomegranates.^[5]

Bilad al-Sharat was conquered by the Ayyubids under Saladin in 1187. During Ayyubid rule, Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1229) noted that Al-Sharat was a mountainous region through which the Hajj caravan road from Damascus to Mecca passed.^[5] During Mamluk rule, Al-Sharat became Mamlakat al-Karak (Province of al-Karak). By the mid-19th century, Bedouin from the Huwaytat tribe were encroaching into the southern parts of Bilad al-Sharat, and amid the Bedouin-induced anarchy in the region, Christians from Tafilah and al-Karak began fleeing to the north. During that time, Bilad al-Sharat, with the exception of Aqaba, was largely part of the Ottoman district of Mutassarifyya al-Karak.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Johns, Jeremy (1994). "The Long Durée: State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries". In Rogan, Eugene L.; Tell, Tariq (eds.). Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan. London: British Academic Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 9781850438298.
^ ^a ^b Salibi, Kamal S. (1977). Syria Under Islam: Empire on Trial. Vol. 1. Delmar: Caravan Books. pp. 74–1097. ISBN 9780882060132.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Salibi, Kamal S. (1993). The Modern History of Jordan. I. B. Tauris. pp. 4–36. ISBN 9781860643316.
^ Simkins, Ronald A. (2019). "Seir (place)". In Freedman, David Noel (ed.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-1-4674-6046-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. pp. 28–39. OCLC 1004386.

[Johns_et_al.,_1994-1] Johns, Jeremy (1994). "The Long Durée: State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries". In Rogan, Eugene L.; Tell, Tariq (eds.). Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan. London: British Academic Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 9781850438298.

[Salibi1977-2] Salibi, Kamal S. (1977). Syria Under Islam: Empire on Trial. Vol. 1. Delmar: Caravan Books. pp. 74–1097. ISBN 9780882060132.

[Salibi1993-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Salibi, Kamal S. (1993). The Modern History of Jordan. I. B. Tauris. pp. 4–36. ISBN 9781860643316.

[4] Simkins, Ronald A. (2019). "Seir (place)". In Freedman, David Noel (ed.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-1-4674-6046-0.

[LeStrange1890-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. pp. 28–39. OCLC 1004386.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
-[[File:Regions of Bilad al-Sham by al-Muqaddasi.png|thumb|right|300px|The district of Al-Sharat in ''[[circa]]'' 985 shown in the southern part of the province of ''[[Bilad al-Sham]]'']]
+{{short description|Highland region in modern southern Jordan and northwestern Saudi Arabia}}
+[[File:Regions of Bilad al-Sham by al-Muqaddasi.png|thumb|right|300px|The district of Al-Sharat in ''[[Wiktionary:circa|circa]]'' 985 shown in the southern part of the province of ''[[Bilad al-Sham]]'']]
-'''''Ash-Sharāt''''' or '''''Ash-Sharāh''''' ({{lang-ar|ٱلشَّرَاة}}, also known as ''Bilād ash-Sharāt'' ({{lang-ar|بِلَاد ٱلشَّرَاة}}) or ''Jibāl ash-Sharāt'' ({{lang-ar|جِبَال ٱلشَّرَاة}}), is a [[highland]] [[region]] in modern-day southern [[Jordan]] and northwestern [[Saudi Arabia]]. It was formerly a sub-district in ''[[Bilad al-Sham]]'' during the 7th–11th centuries [[Common Era|CE]].<ref name="Johns et al., 1994">{{cite book |last1=Johns |first1=Jeremy |editor1-last=Rogan |editor1-first=Eugene L. |editor2-last=Tell |editor2-first=Tariq |title=Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan |pages=10–11 |publisher=British Academic Press |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh1_ernmsnwC&pg=PA10 |chapter=''The Long Durée'': State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries |year=1994}}</ref><ref name="Salibi1977">{{cite book |last=Salibi |first=Kamal S. |authorlink=Kamal Salibi |title=Syria Under Islam: Empire on Trial |pages=74–1097 |volume=1 |publisher=Caravan Books |location=Delmar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzWCAAAAIAAJ |year=1977}}</ref><ref name="Salibi1993">{{cite book |last1=Salibi |first1=Kamal S. |title=The Modern History of Jordan |pages=4–36 |publisher=I. B. Tauris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7zdi2sCuIh8C&pg= |year=1993}}</ref>
+'''''Ash-Sharāt''''' or '''''Ash-Sharāh''''' ({{langx|ar|ٱلشَّرَاة}}, also known as ''Bilād ash-Sharāt'' ({{langx|ar|بِلَاد ٱلشَّرَاة}}) or ''Jibāl ash-Sharāt'' ({{langx|ar|جِبَال ٱلشَّرَاة}}), is a [[highland]] region in modern-day southern [[Jordan]] and northwestern [[Saudi Arabia]]. It was formerly a sub-district in ''[[Bilad al-Sham]]'' during the 7th–11th centuries [[Common Era|CE]].<ref name="Johns et al., 1994">{{cite book |last1=Johns |first1=Jeremy |editor1-last=Rogan |editor1-first=Eugene L. |editor2-last=Tell |editor2-first=Tariq |title=Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan |pages=10–11 |publisher=British Academic Press |location=London |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lh1_ernmsnwC&pg=PA10 |chapter=''The Long Durée'': State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries |year=1994|isbn=9781850438298 }}</ref><ref name="Salibi1977">{{cite book |last=Salibi |first=Kamal S. |author-link=Kamal Salibi |title=Syria Under Islam: Empire on Trial |pages=74–1097 |volume=1 |publisher=Caravan Books |location=Delmar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzWCAAAAIAAJ |year=1977|isbn=9780882060132 }}</ref><ref name="Salibi1993">{{cite book |last1=Salibi |first1=Kamal S. |title=The Modern History of Jordan |pages=4–36 |publisher=I. B. Tauris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7zdi2sCuIh8C |year=1993|isbn=9781860643316 }}</ref>
+It roughly corresponds to the biblical Mount Seir.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Simkins |first=Ronald A. |title=Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4674-6046-0 |editor-last=Freedman |editor-first=David Noel |chapter=Seir (place) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fq7qDwAAQBAJ&dq=eerdmans+dictionary+mount+seir&pg=PT2503}}</ref>
 ==Geography==
-In modern-day [[Jordan]], the region of Al-Sharat starts immediately south of [[Wadi Mujib]]. The northern range contains mountains with peaks up to 1,200 meters above sea level, while to the south the mountains get as high as {{convert|1,500|m|ft|abbr=off}} above sea level. The principal city of ''Bilad al-Sharat'' is [[Al-Karak]]. The northern part of the region in Jordan is under the administration of the [[Karak Governorate]], while the more arid part south of [[Wadi Arabah]] comes under the [[Ma'an Governorate]].<ref name="Salibi1993"/>
+In modern-day [[Jordan]], the region of Al-Sharat starts immediately south of [[Wadi Mujib]]. The northern range contains mountains with peaks up to 1,200 meters above sea level, while to the south the mountains get as high as {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=off}} above sea level. The principal city of ''Bilad al-Sharat'' is [[Al-Karak]]. The northern part of the region in Jordan is under the administration of the [[Karak Governorate]], while the more arid part south of [[Wadi Arabah]] comes under the [[Ma'an Governorate]].<ref name="Salibi1993"/>
-In the 9th century, Al-Sharat's capital was [[Udhruh|Adhruh]], but by the late 10th century, it apparently was replaced by [[Zoara|Sughar]] (Zoar). Other principal towns in the district included [[Tabuk, Saudi Arabia|Tabuk]], [[Ma'an]] (Mu'an), [[Midian|Madyan]], Aynunah (on the northern [[Red Sea]] coast), [[Ayla (city)|Wayla]] (Ayla) and [[Rabba|Maab]] (Rabba).<ref name="LeStrange1890">{{cite book |title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500 |url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft |author=Le Strange, G. |authorlink=Guy Le Strange |publisher=Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]] |location=[[London]] |year=1890 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft/page/28 28]–39 |oclc=1004386 |ref=harv}}</ref>
+In the 9th century, Al-Sharat's capital was [[Udhruh|Adhruh]], but by the late 10th century, it apparently was replaced by [[Zoara|Sughar]] (Zoar). Other principal towns in the district included [[Tabuk, Saudi Arabia|Tabuk]], [[Ma'an]] (Mu'an), [[Midian|Madyan]], Aynunah (on the northern [[Red Sea]] coast), [[Ayla (city)|Wayla]] (Ayla) and [[Rabba|Maab]] (Rabba).<ref name="LeStrange1890">{{cite book |title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500 |url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft |author=Le Strange, G. |author-link=Guy Le Strange |publisher=Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]] |location=London |year=1890 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft/page/28 28]–39 |oclc=1004386 }}</ref>
 ==History==
-From the beginning of the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant]], Al-Sharat formed the southern ''kurah'' (district) of ''[[Jund Dimashq]]'' (Province of Damascus), until the late 9th century, after which it became part of ''[[Jund Filastin]]'' (Province of Palestine).<ref name="Salibi1993"/><ref name="LeStrange1890"/> It was the [[Tulunids]] who first attached Al-Sharat to Filastin for practical purposes, as the district was closer to Filastin than [[Damascus]].<ref name="Salibi1993"/> In 985, during the late [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] period, the [[Jerusalem]]ite geographer [[Al-Muqaddasi]] described Al-Sharat as its own district, neither belonging to Dimashq nor Filastin, in the larger province of ''[[Syria (region)|Ash-Shaam]]'' (The 'Syria' or '[[Levant]]').<ref name="LeStrange1890"/>
+From the beginning of the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant]], Al-Sharat formed the southern ''kurah'' (district) of ''[[Jund Dimashq]]'' (Province of Damascus), until the late 9th century, after which it became part of ''[[Jund Filastin]]'' (Province of Palestine).<ref name="Salibi1993"/><ref name="LeStrange1890"/> It was the [[Tulunids]] who first attached Al-Sharat to Filastin for practical purposes, as the district was closer to Filastin than [[Damascus]].<ref name="Salibi1993"/> In 985, during the late [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] period, the [[Jerusalem]]ite geographer [[Al-Muqaddasi]] described Al-Sharat as its own district, neither belonging to Dimashq nor Filastin, in the larger province of ''[[Bilad al-Sham]]'' (Islamic Syria).<ref name="LeStrange1890"/>
-The district of Al-Sharat corresponded with the mountains of [[Moab]]. Persian geographer [[Al-Istakhri]] (d. 957) described the district as "extremely fertile and rich" and dominated by marauding [[Bedouin]] tribes.<ref name="LeStrange1890"/> In the late 10th century, the old-established [[Qays–Yaman rivalry|Yamani]] tribes of [[Lakhmids|Lakhm]] and [[Banu Judham|Judham]] were engaged in a struggle over dominance of Al-Sharat with newcomers from the tribe of [[Tayy]].<ref name="Salibi1977"/> Though information about the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] administration over the Levant is vague, Caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|Al-Aziz]] (975–996) may have made Al-Sharat (south of [[Wadi Mujib]]) its own province which lasted until the [[Crusaders|Crusader]] invasion in the early 12th century.<ref name="Johns et al., 1994"/>
+The district of Al-Sharat was contiguous with Al-Jibal, which was considered to be the actual "mountains of Edom". Persian geographer [[Al-Istakhri]] (d. 957) described the Palestinian districts as "extremely fertile and rich" and dominated by marauding [[Bedouin]] tribes.<ref name="LeStrange1890"/> In the late 10th century, the old-established [[Qays–Yaman rivalry|Yamani]] tribes of [[Lakhmids|Lakhm]] and [[Banu Judham|Judham]] were engaged in a struggle over dominance of Al-Sharat with newcomers from the tribe of [[Tayy]].<ref name="Salibi1977"/> Though information about the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] administration over the Levant is vague, Caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|Al-Aziz]] (975–996) may have made Al-Sharat (south of [[Wadi Mujib]]) its own province which lasted until the [[Crusaders|Crusader]] invasion in the early 12th century.<ref name="Johns et al., 1994"/>
 The Crusaders annexed Al-Sharat in the 1110s. Initially, it was part of the royal [[demesne]] of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]], but in 1126, the feudal lordship of [[Oultrejordain]] was formed out of the former district of Al-Sharat. Its jurisdiction extended from the [[Zarqa River]] in the north to the [[Red Sea]] in the south. The Crusaders built the fortresses of [[Montreal (Crusader castle)|Montreal]] (Shawbak) in 1115 and [[al-Karak|Crac]] (Al-Karak) in 1145.<ref name="Johns et al., 1994"/><ref name="Salibi1993"/> Both became major centers of the lordship. By the mid-12th century, the inhabitants of Al-Sharat were mainly Bedouin from various [[Qays]]i tribes. At that time, the Muslim geographer [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] (d. 1165) wrote about the fertility of the district and that it produced an abundance of olives, almonds, figs, grapes and pomegranates.<ref name="LeStrange1890"/>
-Bilad al-Sharat was conquered by the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]] under [[Saladin]] in 1187. During Ayyubid rule, Syrian geographer [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] (d. 1229) noted that Al-Sharat was a mountainous region through which the [[Hajj]] caravan road from [[Damascus]] to [[Mecca]] passed.<ref name="LeStrange1890"/> During [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] rule, Al-Sharat became ''Mamlakat al-Karak'' (Province of al-Karak). By the [[mid-19th century]], Bedouin from the [[Howeitat|Huwaytat]] tribe were encroaching into the southern parts of Bilad al-Sharat, and amid the Bedouin-induced anarchy in the region, Christians from [[Tafilah]] and al-Karak began fleeing to the north. During that time, Bilad al-Sharat, with the exception of [[Aqaba]], was largely part of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] district of Mutassarifyya al-Karak.<ref name="Salibi1993"/>
+Bilad al-Sharat was conquered by the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]] under [[Saladin]] in 1187. During Ayyubid rule, Syrian geographer [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] (d. 1229) noted that Al-Sharat was a mountainous region through which the [[Hajj]] caravan road from [[Damascus]] to [[Mecca]] passed.<ref name="LeStrange1890"/> During [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] rule, Al-Sharat became ''Mamlakat al-Karak'' (Province of al-Karak). By the mid-19th century, Bedouin from the [[Howeitat|Huwaytat]] tribe were encroaching into the southern parts of Bilad al-Sharat, and amid the Bedouin-induced anarchy in the region, Christians from [[Tafilah]] and al-Karak began fleeing to the north. During that time, Bilad al-Sharat, with the exception of [[Aqaba]], was largely part of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] district of Mutassarifyya al-Karak.<ref name="Salibi1993"/>
 ==See also==
 * [[Mashriq]]
-* [[Middle East]]
+* Middle East
-* [[Mount Seir]], which roughly corresponds with Al-Sharat
+* [[Mount Seir]] (ancient/biblical name), which roughly corresponds with Al-Sharat
 ==References==
@@ Line 27: / Line 31: @@
 {{Districts of Islamic Syria}}
-[[Category:Medieval Jordan]]
+[[Category:Medieval history of Jordan]]
-[[Category:Medieval Palestine]]
+[[Category:Medieval history of Palestine]]
 [[Category:Subdivisions of the Abbasid Caliphate]]
-[[Category:Geography of Jordan]]
 [[Category:Historical regions in Saudi Arabia]]
-[[Category:Historical regions]]
+[[Category:Historical regions of Jordan]]

v t e Districts of Bilad al-Sham
Rashidun Period	Jund Hims Jund Dimashq Jund al-Urdunn Jund Filastin
Umayyad Period	Jund Qinnasrin Jund Hims Jund Dimashq Jund al-Urdunn Jund Filastin
Early Abbasid Period	Jund al-'Awasim Jund Qinnasrin Jund Hims Jund Dimashq Jund al-Urdunn Jund Filastin
Later Abbasid Period	Jund Qinnasrin Jund Hims Jund Dimashq Jund al-Urdunn Jund Filastin Jund ash-Sharah