al-Sham (Greater Syria)
بلاد الشام
The lands north of Arabia where Qudaʾa’s Salihids then the Ghassanids ruled as Rome’s client kings, and to which Harran-bound Ibrahim had earlier passed through Palestine.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Sham (Syria): the peninsula's north-western frontier; seat of the Arab kings who served Rome as agents, from the Daja'ima to the Ghassanids.
The place
The peninsula's north-western side is a gateway into the African continent, and its north-eastern side a key to the continent of Europe 1.
The Romans cultivated Arab kings there to keep the desert Arabs from mischief and to be a force against Persia: first Banu Salih the Daja'ima, then the Ghassanids after them until the battle of Yarmuk 1.
For young visitors
Al-Sham is the land north of the peninsula where Damascus is; Arab kings ruled it in service of Rome's Caesar.
Connections
- Home of
- Qudaʾa
People and things also explored
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Sham (Greater Syria)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/al-sham/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.