Kāẓimah remembered: historical traditions of an early Islamic settlement by Kuwait Bay

Abstract

Medieval Arabic sources contain multiple references to Kāẓimah, a settlement area on Kuwait Bay in the early Islamic period to which modern Kuwaitis look for a pre-modern heritage. The two most celebrated, involving a tryst between a pre-Islamic poet and a Lakhmid princess and the Battle of Dhāt al-Salāsil during the Islamic conquests, are almost certainly not factual accounts. Geographical sources from the third/ninth century, however, provide an interesting portrayal of the area during its most developed phase and its relationships with other areas. In addition, accounts rooted in tribal tradition allow educated guesses as to population movements in the area from the eve of Islam until the third/ninth century. These indicate long-term patterns of both northward migration from Arabia into Mesopotamia and a process of settlement some time after the rise of Islam.