Mudar

Mudar (Arabic: مُضَر, romanized: Muḍar) was one of the principal tribal confederations of northern and central Arabia in late antiquity and the early Islamic period. Mudar rose to power over the Hejaz in the fifth century, after supplanting its predecessor, the Ghassan, who migrated to Syria. The chief tribes over Mudar may have been the Salihids early on, and then Banu Tha'labah, and finally in the early sixth century, Ghassan. In the pre-Islamic era, Mudar was usually politically dominated by Himyar, until the collapse of the latter. Mudar also maintained connections with the Byzantine Empire, and participated in joint military ventures together. They helped the Byzantines fight the Persians, and the Byzantines helped ensure they maintain their rule over the Hejaz, including Mecca. Together with Rabīʿa, it formed one of the two largest groupings of tribes tracing descent from Nizar ibn Maʿadd. In later historiography, "Mudar" came to designate not only a genealogical lineage but also a broad political and cultural bloc opposed to the southern (Yemeni) tribal groupings.