Description
The Rasulid Dynasty of Yemen was founded by an eponymous Rasul or Muhammad ibn Harun, an outsider of Turkmen Oghuz origin, in the service of the Abbasid Caliph. He assumed an Arab lineage and within a generation, his son was governor of Mecca and his grandson Umar bin Ali self-proclaimed sultan of Yemen. A Golden Age for Yemen followed, with a prosperous economy based on trade with China and cultural achievements all secured by relative peace. Internal divisions and conflict with the Mamluk rulers of Egypt however disrupted trade and ultimately brought down the Rasulids by 1454 CE.