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Page 3 of 4 “Taking account of the Hebrew Scriptures and other ancient records, it is possible to establish that the term "Arab" was originally applied to the Nabateans. The name Nabatean is referred to Ishmael's firstborn son Nebayot. The Nabateans held women in high regard - a characteristic common to most of the pre-Islamic Arabian peoples. Women had property and heritage rights, and the Nabatean queens were honoured even more than the kings”.
So, Arabic Queens enjoyed all the rights and respect of any king and even more so even in defeat. As with Aisha most of these queens were able to keep their lives and, in some cases, rule over their countries. I will mention three warrior queens which cover a thousand years of history.
In the 7th century BC, the warrior Queen Zabibi was succeeded by her daughter, Shamsi (Samsi). They ruled from 740 to 720 BC. Both queens had a large number of women in their armies. Queen Shamsi led a rebellion against the Assyrian King Tiglath Pileser III (740-727) in 732 BC. She refused to pay tribute to him and aided the Damascus King in an unsuccessful campaign against Tiglath. Her cities were captured and she fled to the desert. Thirst and starvation made her give in so she surrendered and bowed to his commands to pay tribute. Even though an Assyrian officer was appointed to her court, she was allowed to continue her rule. It is recorded that 17 years later she was still paying tribute to Sargon II who succeeded Tiglath.
Queen Bat Zabbai, the latinized version Septimia Zenobia, ruled Palmyra, a city-state in Syria from 250 to 275 AD. She was well-learned, beautiful and as Trebellius Pollio wrote “ ...her voice was clear and like that of a man. Her sternness, when necessity demanded, was like a tyrant. Her clemency, when her sense of right called for it, that of a good emperor”. She was able to repel an invasion by the emperor Claudius who was then succeeded by Aurelian. By this time Zenobia ruled not only Egypt and Syria but most of Asia Minor – Arabia, Armenia and Persia. Aurelian wanted it back and launched an attack. She dispatched an army of seventy thousand but the Romans, now under a much stronger military leader, caught up with Zenobia and besieged her in Palmyra. The emperor was so impressed by her military readiness and prowess that when he asked for her surrender he offered her and her family to live anywhere of his choosing. Her people would keep their rights. She felt he didn’t show her the proper respect in his tone so, in response, told him he was already defeated, that other allies were on their way and reminded him that Cleopatra preferred to die as a queen rather than live. However, her confidence was not as strong as her words and she escaped on a swift female camel out the back gates. She was caught and paraded through the Roman streets adorned with so much heavy golden chains and jewels that she could barely walk.
She told the emperor he was the only one she respected so she didn’t mind sharing the kingdom with him. She settled down to a quiet life, married a Roman senator and created a haven for intellectuals and artists.
The Syrian Arab Queen Mavia, a Tanukhid, ruled 373-380 AD. Her husband, Al-Hawari, the last king of the Tanukh confederation of Southern Syria, died in 375 AD without an heir. Mavia soon took over and three years later launched a massive revolt against the Roman empire starting with Arabia and Palestine, winning battle after battle until they reached the edges of Egypt. It is not so clear why she started but experts assert that it was because of religious reasons. The Arabs wanted an orthodox bishop, but, the Roman emperor Valens, an Arian heterodox, appointed an Arian bishop instead.
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