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Chapter 132: Eastern Arabia in the 14th Century
Eastern Arabia in the 14th Century
Beth Qatriye
The coastal strip of Beth Qatriye – previously under some form of control by the Ilkhanate has reasserted its own independence during the latter half of the 14th century. Even under the Ilkhanate, the region has been chiefly controlled by local Qatriyan amirs. As it has always been, effective control over the region was largely in the major coastal towns, while in desert, the local Qatriyan clan of Bar Waqeili (1) reigned supreme.
The Bar Waqeili tribal confederation has thus reasserted their independence by the mid-fourteenth century, when the Ilkhans were busy fighting the Persian insurgents, and effectively stopped paying taxes.
View attachment 578196
Pearl hunting is an important part of daily life in Beth Qatriye
The primary economic activity, aside from piracy, was diving for pearls and growing wine in the more hospitable areas – the oases on the other hand were producing dates, while techniques of obtaining salt from the sea in the hot climate were also made of use.
Concerns over piracy have caused the city-state of Ormus to attack the region thrice. Initially, Ormusian punitive campaigns failed, as the Ormusi fleet and mercenary army were able to seize control over the coastal towns, such as Jubail, Awal and Qatif. However, once attempting to cement their control in the hinterlands, their patrols were repeatedly attacked by local skirmishers, and the cities were regained via attacks through secret tunnels. Ormusi commanders have also noted the fact that the Bar Waqeili clan has been constantly avoiding an “honest battle in the open”, rather relying on ambushes and minor skirmishes, before disappearing in the desert.
The third campaign against the Bar Waqeili saw the involvement of the fiercest tribes from the interior of the peninsula – the Banu Tamim and the Banu Amir from the region of Yamamah. These tribesmen were to provide an effective counter to the Bar Waqeili skrimishers. The results of the third campaign were a victory for Ormus. The ruling chieftain of the Bar Waqeili was executed and the region received a new ruler- Dadisho Bar Gibril, who was to administer the lands of Beth Qatriye as a vassal of Ormus.
While a number of Ormusi merchants and aristocrats have settled on the peninsula of Qatar, specifically on its eastern coast around the town of Murwab, most of the interior remains under the rule of the amirs of Beth Qatriye. The island of Awal, or Dilmun (2) has come under direct Ormusi supervision.
View attachment 578197
Religion in eastern Arabia
In regards to religion, the 14th century has seen a resurgence of Christianity in the region, and the previous trend of a rise of Msadeqiyya Manicheans has been reversed – this may have been caused by the wars, when property of Manicheans was targeted on purpose, and previous emigration of many of them to Ormus, while more and more Christian families arrived to the region from the arid interior of the Peninsula.
In the final decades of the 14th century, following the defeat of Ormus by Mazoun, the house of Bar Gibril declared their independence from Ormusi supervision and seized control over Murwab.
Kingdom of Ormus
The city of Ormus enjoyed a privileged position under the Ilkhanate as its main port in regards to its maritime trade. Its geographic position has naturally predestined it to become a major naval power controlling the trade with Indian Subcontinent and across the Persian Gulf.
View attachment 578198
A late medieval depiction of the city of Ormus
The city of Ormus had not been conquered by the Naimans, and many people fleeing the brutality of the Naimans had found shelter under in the domains ruled by Ormus. Many philosophers and educated people moved to Ormus, as well as wealthy merchants and skilled commanders.
During the rule of the Ilkhanate, as has been mentioned, Ormus was the main port of the Ilkhanate, through which they traded with India and China. As such, the demographics of the city have changed significantly, as many Persians from the mainland have come to live within the city itself, fleeing devastation of the continent. Others have poured to the city to seek opportunities in prosperity caused by trade.
By the beginning of the 14th century, Ormus has become an increasingly diverse and multicultural society – with Ormusi Aramaic, Baloch and Persian languages being the most common languages spoken in the streets of the city, with Gujarati and Konkani, as well as other western Indian languages being also heard occasionally. Religiously, Msadeqiyya remains the plurality religion, but Nestorianism, Zoroastrianism, Mandeism, Judaism and also Indian religions – such as Jainism and Hinduism are also present, with their own places of worship. Furthermore, there exists also a visible minority of persons of Bantu ancestry, who have reached the area via slave trade. Most of them remain in the lowest strata of Ormusi society – as oarsmen in their fleets or house servants.
Baloch people have become a significant proportion of the population – while a significant amount live as servants, still others have come to the city as mercenaries.
View attachment 578200
The map above depicts the rise of monarchical regimes in Eastern Arabia, which until then had a rich republican tradition
The political establishment of Ormus has also changed significantly. Originally, Ormus was a plutocratic republic. The political life of the Ormusi republic has come to be filled with political intrigue and more often than not, political opponents were taken care of through either poison or some dagger in the dark. After a series of defeats in wars, largely due to incompetent leadership, a certain Salghur, commander of the city watch has had enough. With the support of the Baloch soldiers and mercenaries under his command, Salghur in 1375 performed a coup.
Salghur established a monarchic regime and concentrated all decisive authority into his hands, seeking effective administration. The wealthiest merchants had had their private residences and palaces raided by patrols, and a half of their wealth was confiscated by the state.
The Nestorian monk Mar Sabrisho of Arbela has given us a first-hand account: “The city of Ormus is located on an island off the coast of Persia. Its wealth is beyond imagination and the merchants of Ormus have gathered all gems and spices from all corners of the world. Avarice and greed, are however not the only form of vice present in the city. The second most profound vice is lust, and lawful marriage and fidelity is an exception in the adulterous culture of the city.” He went on to say, that Ormus has had two bishops deposed in the early 14th century for their moral failings.
View attachment 578210
Belly dancing is one of the common sights found at Ormus
The wealthiest merchants were known to have large shapastana (3) with dozens, sometimes even hundreds of concubines, and many citizens had at least two or three wives. Carnal pleasures were thus commonly found in Ormus
Ormus has also become a place of luxury, attracting magnificent painters, sculptors and artists of all kinds.
Unfortunately for Ormus, after the death of Salghur, the royals were concerned less and less with practical issues, and devoted themselves to wine, poetry, comedies, and women. One of the princes had boasted that each night, he had ridden one girl of virginity. The continued decay and lack of morale have subscribed themselves to the colossal defeat of Ormusi forces in the war against Mazoun. Unfortunately for the Ormusi, their vassals in Beth Qatriye seized the opportunity to rid themselves of “the decadent drunkards and adulterers”.
Kingdom of Mazoun
The most outspoken rival of Ormus was located to its southeast. Mazoun has been ruled by a relatively stable regime of the Dapirs since the late twelfth century. In contrast to Ormus, it has not been as wealthy as its rival, and its inhabitants had experienced also modest periods, not only times of abundance. The resulting effects were that Mazoun was able to economize its resources in a much more practical way than its rival. Furthermore, Mazoun was able to attract much more scholars and inventors, making it the local centre of innovation.
Geographically Mazoun consists of two distinct areas. The Hajjar Mountains cut the realm in half, being a barrier between the cosmopolitan, sea-ward looking Riviera stretching from Sur in the south across Mascat to roughly Sohar in the west. This region was by far more populous, and lived by commerce. In this region, the most important thing is wealth, and successful merchants are held in high respect, as are successful pirate captains The hinterland region, known as Azd, is characterized by a much more conservative society, with Msadeqiyya clerics playing a pivotal role in the life of the society. Unsurprisingly, this region is in fact the seat of the highest-ranking Msadeqiyya cleric,who resides in Bahla. In Azd, honour plays a crucial role, and disputes among the clans are settled by the clergy. Should they fail to do so, a wave of vendettas is likely to ignite and last a couple of decades. The tribes of Azd have a reputation of being particularly fierce warriors, and together with numerous regiments of Baloch mercenaries form the bulk of Mazouni army.
View attachment 578208
The desert area of Azd is known for its independent-minded tribes
The Mazouni army consisted thus of well-equipped cavalry forces, drawn from the Azdi hinterland and Baloch mercenary troops. The infantry of Mazoun consisted again of largely Baloch mercenaries, but also from recruits from the Mazouni Riviera. Mazouni infantry in the 14th century was equipped with most up-to-date weaponry. Crossbows are gradually phased out in favour of harquebuses, some of the most primitive gunpowder weapons. Mazouni infantry formations had these harquebusiers shielded by halberdmen and pikemen, to provide them safety until they load their weapons.
View attachment 578206
The depiction of the arbuebus
Mazounis waged a series of wars against Ormus and Hadhramawt to restore their control over the disputed borderlands, known as tip of Magan. For Ormus the area was strategically important, as it secured Ormusi monopoly over control of the entry towards the Persian Gulf.
Despite a better material background, the Ormusians were not able to win decisively, as Mazouni forces were both better organized and better equipped, but also due to the fact that Mazoun was able to commit more resources to the army.
While the Ormusians were able to win in the first war, when they have managed to seize control of the entire Mazouni coast, reducing Mazoun to the tramontane are in the hinterland, known as Azd, around the oases of Nizwa and Bahla. For a few years, thus Ormus was able to monopolize the entire trade with India. The next war however, saw a decisive counterattack, with Ormus losing the entire Mazouni coast except the port of Sohar.
The capture of Sohar by Mazounis in the third war has proven to be decisive in their campaigns against Ormus – the city was a key to Ormusi control over the Arabian coast. Its seizure resulted in a rapid collapse of Ormusi control in Magan. The result was the end of Ormusi control over their possessions on the Peninsula.
Mazounis and Ormusians also competed across the entire sea of Mazoun over access to trade emporia and markets. Subsequently, Mazounis seized the region of Hadhramawt and Dhofar, midway along the southern Arabian coast on the way to Himyar. Both regions were famous particularly for their trade in frankincense, and entering the trade with this luxurious commodity was certainly something that the Dapirs were deeply interested in.
The port of Salalah does offer some interesting opportunities, but it appears that there is still one piece of rock that the Mazounis are extremely interested in. Located off the tip of Hafuf, the island of Suqutra has until now been a possession of Himyarites (who were, unsuccessfully, seeking to force their own form of Christianity on the island´s nominally Nestorian populace). According to the Dapirs of Mazoun, Suqutra is extremely valuable as a resupplying station for any ship sailing from Aden to the Konkani or Malabar coasts of India.
A war against Himyar in the final years of the 14th century over Suqutra was declared. While the Himyarites were able loot and gain control over Hadhramawt and Dhofar, the naval superiority of Mazoun meant firstly that a successful disembarkment on the island was realized, much to the pleasure of the islanders, and secondly, that experienced Mazouni pirates were able to raid the ports of the Himyarites – most notably destroying the fleet stationed in the port of Aden during a surprise attack. Several amphibious attacks on coastal cities launched by the Mazounis were successful, and the Hiyarties were defeated.
View attachment 578199
Green: the domain controlled by Mazoun at the end of 14th century. Red: the independent Beth Qatriye. The purple domains of Ormus are barely visible
Thus, at the end of the 14th century, Mazoun gains two important border regions: the peninsular region of Magan in the west, which the Dapirs heavily fortify, as they anticipate a possible Ormusi attempt for reconquest, and then Hadhramawt and Dhofar in the south, which provides southern promontory of Mazouni power. Mazoun is a naval power to be reckoned with, commanding the southern coast of Arabia, seeking to dominate the trade in the Indian Ocean Basin.
Culture of Mazoun
The culture of Mazoun is something that requires some further detail, for it is relatively distinct. The Mazouni language was originally a South Arabian one, on the far end of the dialect continuum, related to Mehri and Dhofari on the southern coast of Arabia. Throughout the centuries, however, Mazouni has diverged substantially from its ancestral form, mainly due to heavy interaction with Iranian and Indian linguistic zones. What however should be noted, are relatively few, if any influences from Aramaic or Syriac, caused by the fact that Nestorianism failed to take root in the area, and Persian had remained the prestige language in Mazoun.
View attachment 578201
Above: the linguistic map of the region
The three languages that had a profound influence on Mazouni are Persian, Baloch and Gujarati. Persian linguistic influences have been present in the area since the time of the Sassanids, and much of the vocabulary in the domains of governance, infrastructure and abstract concepts, the terminology in religion and philosophy has its origin in classical Persian (or partially late classical Parthian). Economic and trade concepts were borrowed from Ormus from the local idioms of Aramaic and Persian, which coexist in the city. Parts of the military terminology on the other hand have come from the Baloch language. Gujarati (and to a lesser extent Konkani and Malabar languages) on the western coast of India have given the Mazouni language many terms in describing exotic animals and plants, as well as spices.
Mazouni language is written in the Mazouni script, originally derived from Nestorian or Syriac script. Written documents from the 14th century show us largely practical documents of merchants speaking of regular transactions and ship diaries. Other types of documents show us legal decisions and the “Chronicle of the Realm” an official chronicle with a prescribed set of issues which are considered noteworthy. It has proven to be an extremely valuable source to historians. From the Chronicle of the Realm we precisely know how many ships departed from the ports of Mazoun every season for their merchant adventures.
View attachment 578202
Fishing provides a large part of the Mazouni diet
Mazouni thought and ethics has been deeply influenced by both Persian and Indian intellectual life. In contrast to Ormus, gluttony has seldom been an issue for Mazounis. In the coastal regions, the diet was mostly pescetarian, with many fruits and vegetables and spices always on the table, unlike meat. Different thinkers in Mazoun took different attitudes to the perception of time – the conservative position of the religious establishment was that time was linear; however philosophers living in the cosmopolitan coastal regions, often coming in contact with India on their journeys come to think of time as cyclical (this attitude may have been strengthened by the experience of the monsoon phenomenom).
In contrast to the intricacy of the etiquette of Ormus, corrupted by the lavishness, but also inspired by neighbouring Persian etiquette, Mazounis are known to openly despise people who speak a lot and say nothing, calling them “venomous snakes”, and should one feel openly any hostility toward another and seeks vengeance, poisoning is out of question. Rather, it has become customary to challenge the offender to a duel – often through sticking a dagger, along with the explanation of the offence to into the doors of one´s rival.
Straight talk and honesty is a virtue often accompanying Mazouni merchants, and breaking a given promise is something that is known to destroy one´s reputation overnight. Mazounis seldom to gestures of prostration or any other gesture of submission – the only such gesture qualifying as such can be described followingly: one hand on the waist, the second straight and a very slight bowing of the torso. The notion of personal space is rather larger in comparison to neighbouring cultures – roughly to half an arm´s length, something which could be explained by the importance of private property.
Regarding some practical philosophy, the life motto of most of the Mazounis appears to be “work hard, plan carefully, live modestly, and you will make a fortune” (4). Unlike in Ormus, Mazounis generally see no sense in displaying their status or fortunes publically through luxurious garments or magnificent palaces. While knowing how to enjoy life, and take some earthly pleasures, Mazounis could be considered to be rather disciplined, and contrast themselves to the citizens of Ormus.
Beth Qatriye
The coastal strip of Beth Qatriye – previously under some form of control by the Ilkhanate has reasserted its own independence during the latter half of the 14th century. Even under the Ilkhanate, the region has been chiefly controlled by local Qatriyan amirs. As it has always been, effective control over the region was largely in the major coastal towns, while in desert, the local Qatriyan clan of Bar Waqeili (1) reigned supreme.
The Bar Waqeili tribal confederation has thus reasserted their independence by the mid-fourteenth century, when the Ilkhans were busy fighting the Persian insurgents, and effectively stopped paying taxes.
View attachment 578196
Pearl hunting is an important part of daily life in Beth Qatriye
The primary economic activity, aside from piracy, was diving for pearls and growing wine in the more hospitable areas – the oases on the other hand were producing dates, while techniques of obtaining salt from the sea in the hot climate were also made of use.
Concerns over piracy have caused the city-state of Ormus to attack the region thrice. Initially, Ormusian punitive campaigns failed, as the Ormusi fleet and mercenary army were able to seize control over the coastal towns, such as Jubail, Awal and Qatif. However, once attempting to cement their control in the hinterlands, their patrols were repeatedly attacked by local skirmishers, and the cities were regained via attacks through secret tunnels. Ormusi commanders have also noted the fact that the Bar Waqeili clan has been constantly avoiding an “honest battle in the open”, rather relying on ambushes and minor skirmishes, before disappearing in the desert.
The third campaign against the Bar Waqeili saw the involvement of the fiercest tribes from the interior of the peninsula – the Banu Tamim and the Banu Amir from the region of Yamamah. These tribesmen were to provide an effective counter to the Bar Waqeili skrimishers. The results of the third campaign were a victory for Ormus. The ruling chieftain of the Bar Waqeili was executed and the region received a new ruler- Dadisho Bar Gibril, who was to administer the lands of Beth Qatriye as a vassal of Ormus.
While a number of Ormusi merchants and aristocrats have settled on the peninsula of Qatar, specifically on its eastern coast around the town of Murwab, most of the interior remains under the rule of the amirs of Beth Qatriye. The island of Awal, or Dilmun (2) has come under direct Ormusi supervision.
View attachment 578197
Religion in eastern Arabia
In regards to religion, the 14th century has seen a resurgence of Christianity in the region, and the previous trend of a rise of Msadeqiyya Manicheans has been reversed – this may have been caused by the wars, when property of Manicheans was targeted on purpose, and previous emigration of many of them to Ormus, while more and more Christian families arrived to the region from the arid interior of the Peninsula.
In the final decades of the 14th century, following the defeat of Ormus by Mazoun, the house of Bar Gibril declared their independence from Ormusi supervision and seized control over Murwab.
Kingdom of Ormus
The city of Ormus enjoyed a privileged position under the Ilkhanate as its main port in regards to its maritime trade. Its geographic position has naturally predestined it to become a major naval power controlling the trade with Indian Subcontinent and across the Persian Gulf.
View attachment 578198
A late medieval depiction of the city of Ormus
The city of Ormus had not been conquered by the Naimans, and many people fleeing the brutality of the Naimans had found shelter under in the domains ruled by Ormus. Many philosophers and educated people moved to Ormus, as well as wealthy merchants and skilled commanders.
During the rule of the Ilkhanate, as has been mentioned, Ormus was the main port of the Ilkhanate, through which they traded with India and China. As such, the demographics of the city have changed significantly, as many Persians from the mainland have come to live within the city itself, fleeing devastation of the continent. Others have poured to the city to seek opportunities in prosperity caused by trade.
By the beginning of the 14th century, Ormus has become an increasingly diverse and multicultural society – with Ormusi Aramaic, Baloch and Persian languages being the most common languages spoken in the streets of the city, with Gujarati and Konkani, as well as other western Indian languages being also heard occasionally. Religiously, Msadeqiyya remains the plurality religion, but Nestorianism, Zoroastrianism, Mandeism, Judaism and also Indian religions – such as Jainism and Hinduism are also present, with their own places of worship. Furthermore, there exists also a visible minority of persons of Bantu ancestry, who have reached the area via slave trade. Most of them remain in the lowest strata of Ormusi society – as oarsmen in their fleets or house servants.
Baloch people have become a significant proportion of the population – while a significant amount live as servants, still others have come to the city as mercenaries.
View attachment 578200
The map above depicts the rise of monarchical regimes in Eastern Arabia, which until then had a rich republican tradition
The political establishment of Ormus has also changed significantly. Originally, Ormus was a plutocratic republic. The political life of the Ormusi republic has come to be filled with political intrigue and more often than not, political opponents were taken care of through either poison or some dagger in the dark. After a series of defeats in wars, largely due to incompetent leadership, a certain Salghur, commander of the city watch has had enough. With the support of the Baloch soldiers and mercenaries under his command, Salghur in 1375 performed a coup.
Salghur established a monarchic regime and concentrated all decisive authority into his hands, seeking effective administration. The wealthiest merchants had had their private residences and palaces raided by patrols, and a half of their wealth was confiscated by the state.
The Nestorian monk Mar Sabrisho of Arbela has given us a first-hand account: “The city of Ormus is located on an island off the coast of Persia. Its wealth is beyond imagination and the merchants of Ormus have gathered all gems and spices from all corners of the world. Avarice and greed, are however not the only form of vice present in the city. The second most profound vice is lust, and lawful marriage and fidelity is an exception in the adulterous culture of the city.” He went on to say, that Ormus has had two bishops deposed in the early 14th century for their moral failings.
View attachment 578210
Belly dancing is one of the common sights found at Ormus
The wealthiest merchants were known to have large shapastana (3) with dozens, sometimes even hundreds of concubines, and many citizens had at least two or three wives. Carnal pleasures were thus commonly found in Ormus
Ormus has also become a place of luxury, attracting magnificent painters, sculptors and artists of all kinds.
Unfortunately for Ormus, after the death of Salghur, the royals were concerned less and less with practical issues, and devoted themselves to wine, poetry, comedies, and women. One of the princes had boasted that each night, he had ridden one girl of virginity. The continued decay and lack of morale have subscribed themselves to the colossal defeat of Ormusi forces in the war against Mazoun. Unfortunately for the Ormusi, their vassals in Beth Qatriye seized the opportunity to rid themselves of “the decadent drunkards and adulterers”.
Kingdom of Mazoun
The most outspoken rival of Ormus was located to its southeast. Mazoun has been ruled by a relatively stable regime of the Dapirs since the late twelfth century. In contrast to Ormus, it has not been as wealthy as its rival, and its inhabitants had experienced also modest periods, not only times of abundance. The resulting effects were that Mazoun was able to economize its resources in a much more practical way than its rival. Furthermore, Mazoun was able to attract much more scholars and inventors, making it the local centre of innovation.
Geographically Mazoun consists of two distinct areas. The Hajjar Mountains cut the realm in half, being a barrier between the cosmopolitan, sea-ward looking Riviera stretching from Sur in the south across Mascat to roughly Sohar in the west. This region was by far more populous, and lived by commerce. In this region, the most important thing is wealth, and successful merchants are held in high respect, as are successful pirate captains The hinterland region, known as Azd, is characterized by a much more conservative society, with Msadeqiyya clerics playing a pivotal role in the life of the society. Unsurprisingly, this region is in fact the seat of the highest-ranking Msadeqiyya cleric,who resides in Bahla. In Azd, honour plays a crucial role, and disputes among the clans are settled by the clergy. Should they fail to do so, a wave of vendettas is likely to ignite and last a couple of decades. The tribes of Azd have a reputation of being particularly fierce warriors, and together with numerous regiments of Baloch mercenaries form the bulk of Mazouni army.
View attachment 578208
The desert area of Azd is known for its independent-minded tribes
The Mazouni army consisted thus of well-equipped cavalry forces, drawn from the Azdi hinterland and Baloch mercenary troops. The infantry of Mazoun consisted again of largely Baloch mercenaries, but also from recruits from the Mazouni Riviera. Mazouni infantry in the 14th century was equipped with most up-to-date weaponry. Crossbows are gradually phased out in favour of harquebuses, some of the most primitive gunpowder weapons. Mazouni infantry formations had these harquebusiers shielded by halberdmen and pikemen, to provide them safety until they load their weapons.
View attachment 578206
The depiction of the arbuebus
Mazounis waged a series of wars against Ormus and Hadhramawt to restore their control over the disputed borderlands, known as tip of Magan. For Ormus the area was strategically important, as it secured Ormusi monopoly over control of the entry towards the Persian Gulf.
Despite a better material background, the Ormusians were not able to win decisively, as Mazouni forces were both better organized and better equipped, but also due to the fact that Mazoun was able to commit more resources to the army.
While the Ormusians were able to win in the first war, when they have managed to seize control of the entire Mazouni coast, reducing Mazoun to the tramontane are in the hinterland, known as Azd, around the oases of Nizwa and Bahla. For a few years, thus Ormus was able to monopolize the entire trade with India. The next war however, saw a decisive counterattack, with Ormus losing the entire Mazouni coast except the port of Sohar.
The capture of Sohar by Mazounis in the third war has proven to be decisive in their campaigns against Ormus – the city was a key to Ormusi control over the Arabian coast. Its seizure resulted in a rapid collapse of Ormusi control in Magan. The result was the end of Ormusi control over their possessions on the Peninsula.
Mazounis and Ormusians also competed across the entire sea of Mazoun over access to trade emporia and markets. Subsequently, Mazounis seized the region of Hadhramawt and Dhofar, midway along the southern Arabian coast on the way to Himyar. Both regions were famous particularly for their trade in frankincense, and entering the trade with this luxurious commodity was certainly something that the Dapirs were deeply interested in.
The port of Salalah does offer some interesting opportunities, but it appears that there is still one piece of rock that the Mazounis are extremely interested in. Located off the tip of Hafuf, the island of Suqutra has until now been a possession of Himyarites (who were, unsuccessfully, seeking to force their own form of Christianity on the island´s nominally Nestorian populace). According to the Dapirs of Mazoun, Suqutra is extremely valuable as a resupplying station for any ship sailing from Aden to the Konkani or Malabar coasts of India.
A war against Himyar in the final years of the 14th century over Suqutra was declared. While the Himyarites were able loot and gain control over Hadhramawt and Dhofar, the naval superiority of Mazoun meant firstly that a successful disembarkment on the island was realized, much to the pleasure of the islanders, and secondly, that experienced Mazouni pirates were able to raid the ports of the Himyarites – most notably destroying the fleet stationed in the port of Aden during a surprise attack. Several amphibious attacks on coastal cities launched by the Mazounis were successful, and the Hiyarties were defeated.
View attachment 578199
Green: the domain controlled by Mazoun at the end of 14th century. Red: the independent Beth Qatriye. The purple domains of Ormus are barely visible
Thus, at the end of the 14th century, Mazoun gains two important border regions: the peninsular region of Magan in the west, which the Dapirs heavily fortify, as they anticipate a possible Ormusi attempt for reconquest, and then Hadhramawt and Dhofar in the south, which provides southern promontory of Mazouni power. Mazoun is a naval power to be reckoned with, commanding the southern coast of Arabia, seeking to dominate the trade in the Indian Ocean Basin.
Culture of Mazoun
The culture of Mazoun is something that requires some further detail, for it is relatively distinct. The Mazouni language was originally a South Arabian one, on the far end of the dialect continuum, related to Mehri and Dhofari on the southern coast of Arabia. Throughout the centuries, however, Mazouni has diverged substantially from its ancestral form, mainly due to heavy interaction with Iranian and Indian linguistic zones. What however should be noted, are relatively few, if any influences from Aramaic or Syriac, caused by the fact that Nestorianism failed to take root in the area, and Persian had remained the prestige language in Mazoun.
View attachment 578201
Above: the linguistic map of the region
The three languages that had a profound influence on Mazouni are Persian, Baloch and Gujarati. Persian linguistic influences have been present in the area since the time of the Sassanids, and much of the vocabulary in the domains of governance, infrastructure and abstract concepts, the terminology in religion and philosophy has its origin in classical Persian (or partially late classical Parthian). Economic and trade concepts were borrowed from Ormus from the local idioms of Aramaic and Persian, which coexist in the city. Parts of the military terminology on the other hand have come from the Baloch language. Gujarati (and to a lesser extent Konkani and Malabar languages) on the western coast of India have given the Mazouni language many terms in describing exotic animals and plants, as well as spices.
Mazouni language is written in the Mazouni script, originally derived from Nestorian or Syriac script. Written documents from the 14th century show us largely practical documents of merchants speaking of regular transactions and ship diaries. Other types of documents show us legal decisions and the “Chronicle of the Realm” an official chronicle with a prescribed set of issues which are considered noteworthy. It has proven to be an extremely valuable source to historians. From the Chronicle of the Realm we precisely know how many ships departed from the ports of Mazoun every season for their merchant adventures.
View attachment 578202
Fishing provides a large part of the Mazouni diet
Mazouni thought and ethics has been deeply influenced by both Persian and Indian intellectual life. In contrast to Ormus, gluttony has seldom been an issue for Mazounis. In the coastal regions, the diet was mostly pescetarian, with many fruits and vegetables and spices always on the table, unlike meat. Different thinkers in Mazoun took different attitudes to the perception of time – the conservative position of the religious establishment was that time was linear; however philosophers living in the cosmopolitan coastal regions, often coming in contact with India on their journeys come to think of time as cyclical (this attitude may have been strengthened by the experience of the monsoon phenomenom).
In contrast to the intricacy of the etiquette of Ormus, corrupted by the lavishness, but also inspired by neighbouring Persian etiquette, Mazounis are known to openly despise people who speak a lot and say nothing, calling them “venomous snakes”, and should one feel openly any hostility toward another and seeks vengeance, poisoning is out of question. Rather, it has become customary to challenge the offender to a duel – often through sticking a dagger, along with the explanation of the offence to into the doors of one´s rival.
Straight talk and honesty is a virtue often accompanying Mazouni merchants, and breaking a given promise is something that is known to destroy one´s reputation overnight. Mazounis seldom to gestures of prostration or any other gesture of submission – the only such gesture qualifying as such can be described followingly: one hand on the waist, the second straight and a very slight bowing of the torso. The notion of personal space is rather larger in comparison to neighbouring cultures – roughly to half an arm´s length, something which could be explained by the importance of private property.
Regarding some practical philosophy, the life motto of most of the Mazounis appears to be “work hard, plan carefully, live modestly, and you will make a fortune” (4). Unlike in Ormus, Mazounis generally see no sense in displaying their status or fortunes publically through luxurious garments or magnificent palaces. While knowing how to enjoy life, and take some earthly pleasures, Mazounis could be considered to be rather disciplined, and contrast themselves to the citizens of Ormus.
- OTL: Banu Uqayl
- Bahrain
- Original Persian word for Harem, meaning “night station”
- Protestant work ethic, anyone?
- Tomislav Addai
- Word Count: 2.9k