Droughts in the sixth century helped Islam gain ground Extreme dryness aided the collapse of the ancient South Arabian kingdom of Himyar. The journal Science has recently published these discoveries by researchers from the University of Basel. The droughts left an area in disarray and, when coupled
Droughts in the sixth century helped Islam gain groundScienceThe droughts left an area in disarray and, when coupled with political unrest and war, helped to create the circumstances necessary for the spread of the newly formed religion of Islam on the Arabian peninsula.
However, despite its prior might, the kingdom had a crisis in the sixth century CE, which resulted in its defeat by the nearby kingdom of Aksum . Extreme drought, a previously unrecognized factor, may have played a significant role in the upheavals in ancient Arabia that led to the rise of Islam in the seventh century. Researchers under the direction of Professor Dominik Fleitmann recently released their findings.
The stalagmite layers’ isotopic analysis enables scientists to estimate the yearly rainfall levels. For instance, they found that there must have been a severe drought in addition to the fact that less rain fell over a longer period of time. The researchers were able to date the dry era to the early sixth century CE using the radioactive decay of uranium, however only to within 30 years.
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