The
ancient history of Yemen (
South Arabia) is especially important because
Yemen is one of the oldest centers of
civilization in the
Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient Greek geographer
Ptolemy, who described Yemen as
Eudaimon Arabia (better known in its Latin translation,
Arabia Felix) meaning
Fortunate Arabia or
Happy Arabia. Between the 8th century BCE and the 6th century, it was dominated by six main states which rivaled each other, or were allied with each other and controlled the lucrative
spice trade:
Saba',
Ma'īn,
Qatabān,
Ḥaḑramawt,
Awsān, and
Himyar. Islam arrived in 630 CE, and Yemen became part of the Muslim realm.