This is a timeline of Yemeni history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Yemen and its predecessor states. To understand the context to these events, see History of Yemen. See also the List of rulers of Saba and Himyar, the list of Imams of Yemen and the list of presidents of Yemen.
23rd century BC Year Date Event 2300 BC According to some legends, the ethnic Arab inhabitants of South Arabia become unified under the leadership of Qahtan.
21st century BC Year Date Event 2100 BC To the East of Qahtan A'ad settles Oman.
Centuries: 20th BC19th BC18th BC17th BC16th BC15th BC14th BC13th BC12th BC11th BC10th BC9th BC8th BC7th BC6th BC5th BC4th BC3rd BC2nd BC1st BC
16th century BC Year Date Event 1600 BC The Qahtanis began to move to the Tihama coasts and the lowlands. A tradeline began to flourish along the red Sea Tihama coasts. During this period the Qahtanis began to settle in small trading colonies in neighboring East Africa.
12th century BC Year Date Event 1200 BC The Sabaean Kingdom came into existence.Kenneth A. Kitchen The World of "Ancient Arabia" Series. Documentation for Ancient Arabia. Part I. Chronological Framework and Historical Sources p.110
9th century BC Year Date Event 900 BC The Qahtanis began using a variant of the Phoenician script; this will lead to the recording of South Arabian history from this point onwards.
8th century BC Year Date Event 800 BC Ma'een kingdom builds its capital in Baraqish. The Sabeans build their capital on the edge of the mountains regions in Sirwah. The Qatabanians rise as Sabean vassals in the region known now (AD 1990) as central and east Yemen. Hadhramawt rise as Sabean vassal kingdom in the region known now (AD 1990) as eastern Yemen. Awsan appears as independent nation in a region that will partly controlled by the Qatabanians. 719 BC The temple of Marib is finished. 718 BC War between Ma'een and the Sabeans. 716 BC After securing their borders with Ma'een the Sabeans moved their capital to the more accessible Marib. 715 BC The Sabeans control the trade line and started recording diplomatic relationships with Assyria. Sumhu`alay Yanuf and his son Yatha`amar Bayyin complete building the Marib Dam.
7th century BC Year Date Event 700 BC The Qatabanians build Timna and rebel against the authority of Saba. 675 BC Karib'il Watar defeats the rebellion and brings all of South Arabia under the Sabean rule.
6th century BC Year Date Event 600 BC Saba reaches its height of power and extends its hegemony across the Red sea establishing the Dm't Kingdom, this will be the nucleus of the Semitic culture of East Africa. Although it is not the first attempt of the Qahtanis to expand their rule to the African coast.
5th century BC Year Date Event 500 BC The Dam of Marib breaks, Saba suffers from drought and rebellions. The Ma'een kingdom allied with the Qatabanians and Hadramites rebel against Saba and gain their independence. Ma'een establishes itself as the dominant kingdom in the north of Yemen, extending its authority on the northern Red Sea coasts, and establishes military/trading colonies as far as Sinai.
4th century BC Year Date Event 370 BC Qahtani tribes attack the Persians out of Musqat in the Eastern tip of the Arabian peninsula. From that time on Qahtanis replaced the Ancient Arabs 'Ad in Oman.
2nd century BC Year Date Event 110 BC Himyar rises against Qataban.
1st century BC Year Date Event 100 BC Ma'een declines gradually mainly due to the Roman control of the new sea trade routes. Himyar starts expanding on the expense of the war-torn kingdom of Saba. The remains of the Qhatani Jurhum tribe integrate their lineage under Nizar bin Ma'ad bin Adnan. From this point on they become the Adnanites. Himyar allied itself with most of the Qahatni tribes of the lowlands and central highlands, annexing most of Saba and Southern Qataban, but Hadhramout repels them. 25 BC The Romans encouraged by the civil war in South Arabia attempt to invade the region, but fail to survive the Arabian desert. Sabean civil war, Himyar closes in on Saba and takes over most of the Sabean central highlands, red sea coasts territory. Saba breaks into two smaller states in the northern highlands and the desert region around the capital Marib.
Centuries: 1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th - 9th - 10th - 11th - 12th - 13th - 14th - 15th - 16th - 17th - 18th - 19th - 20th
1st century AD Year Date Event 100 The Kingdom of Aksum dominates East Africa and takesover the Sabean trading/military colonies. The Kahlan tribes remain as the only tribes still loyal to the Sabean state at Marib, Kahlan tribes cornered in the area between Sana'a and Marib in the north of Yemen.
2nd century Year Date Event 200 Jews settle Yemen. Himyar captures most of Qataban. Himyar annexes the Sabean state of Marib. After the loss of Marib Saba, Kahlans septs Azd, Hamdan, Lakhm, Tai headed north except for the Hashid and Bakil tribes of Hamdan of Gurat Saba () and Kindah in the Ramlah Desert.
3rd century Year Date Event 211 Hadhramout allies itself with Qataban and Aksum attacking Himyar from the West and the east. 217 While the Himyarites are fighting the Hadhramout/Qataban alliance in the east, the Aksumites capture the Himyarite capital Zafar. 221 Hadhramout annexes Qataban and reaches its height of power. 222 The Aksumites attempt to capture Hadhramout from the coast. 225 During the reign of Sha`irum Awtar the Himyarites/Sabeans attack the Kingdom of Hadhramout from the East and capture their capital. 227 The Gurat Sabeans and Himyar ally themselves against the Aksumites and retake Zafar. The Aksumites lose all their territories in South Arabia except for Tihama. 229 Himyar recaptures Southern Tihama and controls the Major East African ports across from Muza'a. The Aksumites keep the Northern strip of Tihama. The Kahlani Imran bin Azd branch expel the Persians from Oman. 231 The Kahlani Jifna bin Azd branch settles Syria and Lakhm settles Mesopotamia. 280 Himyar annexes the last Sabean enclave to its Kingdom. 300 Himyar annexes Hadhramout expanding its borders to Dhofar Oman. to the East of their borders the Azd bin Imran (Azd Uman).
4th century Year Date Event 320 Himyar annexes Socotra. 325 From Al-Ramlah in Yemen, Shiekh of Kindah makes alliances with Adnani tribes of Najd. 390 Abu-Kariba Asad King of Himyar converts to Judaism and spreads the religion in the region.
5th century Year Date Event 425 Himyar appoints Akil al-Murar ibn Amr as the first Hujr of its Northern Kindite colonies. 480 Amr al-Mansur ibn Hudjr rises his status to the king (vassal to Himyar) and bring the Northern part of the Arabian peninsula under Himyarite control. 500 Christianity spreads in Najran/Tihama strip an area still allied to the Christian Aksum kingdom. Two Jews from Yathrib travel to Himyar in the hope of converting the people of Himyar to Judaism.
6th century Year Date Event 523 King Dhu Nuwas converts to Judaism, he begins a campaign to convert the Himyarites into Judaism. Himyarites convert in big numbers except in Najran. 525 At this time Himyar included all the Arabian Peninsula (via Kindah) and he was angered by the Najrani chief refusal to leave Christianity. Dhu Nawas took Najran and massacred 20,000 Najrani Christians. The Christian Aksumites defeat Dhu Nawas and annex Himyar, starting a period of persecution against the Yemenite Jews. A third of the population of Yemenite Jews is exiled to Aksum. 570 The Dam of Marib broke for the third and final time, triggering another migration of Yemeni tribes. The Qur'an itself refers to the collapse of the Marib Dam as a punishment on the Sabaeans for their ungratefulness to God. Under Khosrau I, Persian forces expel the Aksumites with the help of Dhu Yazin. Persians later assassinate Dhu Yazin and try to establish their rule over all Yemen, but they fail and a number of autonomous kingdoms are established.
7th century Year Date Event 628 The final Persian governor of Yemen, Badhan, converted to Islam, thus nominally submitting the entirety of Yemen to the new faith. 632 Al-Aswad al-Ansi proclaims himself prophet and attracts a large following. He captures Sana'a, but is killed by the Persian shortly after. 660 Yemen is captured by the pro-Umayyad forces during the First Fitna. 686 Kharijites under Najda ibn Amir attack Yemen during the Second Fitna. 687 Kharijite attacks continue, and Sana'a is forced to submit to Najda ibn Amir.
8th century Year Date Event 740 Imam Zayd ibn Ali, founder of Fiver Islam leads revolt in Kufa against Umayyads. The revolt is brutally crushed and Zayd killed. Some followers remained in Medina, when Imam Al-Hadi Yahya would bring Zaidiyyah to Sa'dah in the thirteenth century.
9th century Year Date Event893 Imam al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya arrives in Yemen for the first time. (Hereafter "Douglas.") 897 Establishment of the Zaydi imamate under al-Hadi at Saada.
12th century Year Date Event1165Mass conversions from Judaism to Islam. 1173 Saladin annexes both the Hejaz and Yemen to his Ayyubid sultanate. (Hereafter "Chatterji.")
13th century Year Date Event 1229 The Rasulid dynasty rules Yemen until 1454.
16th century Year Date Event 1514 In response to Portuguese occupation of Kamaran island, a fleet from the Mamluk Sultanate attack and occupy the western and southern shores of the Timurid territory in Yemen. 1517 Ottomans capture Egypt and eliminate the Mamluk dynasty, then move on to Yemen, where they occupy Aden. Sana'a and the rest of Yemen remain under the Zaidi dynasty. 1538 August Admiral Sulayman Pasha captures Aden for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in order to provide an Ottoman base for raids against Portuguese possessions on the western coast of the Indian subcontinent. (Hereafter "Kour.") 1540 Residents of Aden rise up against the Ottomans, slaughter the garrison and invite Portuguese protection. The Portuguese stay until driven out by the Ottoman fleet under Admiral Peri Pasha. 1595 Imam Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad begins a rebellion against the Ottomans that would last for 30 years.Kour, pp. 2-3.
17th century Year Date Event 1618 British establish a "factory" (trading post) at Mocha on the Red Sea coast.Kour, p. 4. 1630 The East India Company begins trade in coffee from Mocha, which held a monopoly on the plant at the time. 1635 The Ottomans are expelled from Yemen.
18th century Year Date Event 1728 Fadl ibn Ali, chief of the Abdali tribe, declares Lahej an independent sultanate.Kour, p. 3. 1735 Fadl ibn Ali's forces capture Aden and make it part of the Sultanate of Lahej. 1785 Americans begin to compete with British for the coffee trade from Mocha and by 1800 would become the main exporters of Yemen's most important article of foreign trade.
19th century Year Date Event 1837 Forces of Muhammad Ali, nominally the Egyptian vassal of the Ottoman Empire, occupy Ta'izz. The British warn him against further military movements. (Hereafter "Dresch.") 1839 In response to an incident in which Arab traders plundered a British vessel, Captain Haines sailed against Aden and finding resistance bombards then occupies it for the East India Company's Bombay Presidency, requiring the Sultan of Lahej to accept British protection. Aden will serve as a major refueling port when the Suez Canal opens in 1869. 1849 Ottomans establish presence on the Red Sea coast, but the Ottoman force sent to take Sana'a is massacred after accepting invitation to enter the city. 1850s Beginning of "the time of corruption", which would last until the end of the century. Zaidis lost major ports to other tribes; widespread food shortages; rivalry for the imamate; with Qāsimī rule collapsing, Turkish incursions into the highlands meet with support.Dresch, p. 4 1872 Ottomans occupy the northern Yemen, taking Sana'a and spreading out southward around Taiz. Imam Al-Mutawakkil al-Muhsin withdraws to the north.