著者

太田 敬子

出版者

東洋文庫

雑誌

東洋学報 = The Toyo Gakuho (ISSN:03869067)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.73, no.1・2, pp.027-054(109~136), 1992-01

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The Jarājima (Mαρδαϊται in Greek), were a native group of the Amanus mts. in western Thughūr, the borderland between the Arab and the Byzantine power. This article will examine the character of the Jarājima, their activities in the Arabo-Byzantine conflicts and the policies of these Great Powers toward them, in order to reconstruct the history of Thughūr in the early Islamic period. The Jarājima concluded a very advantageous peace treaty with the Muslims, but they did not refrain from their insurgency against the Muslims in the mountainous region and from cooperating with the Byzantine Army. Their activity had great influence on the Arabo-Byzantine peace treaties. In addition, they played an important role in the anti-Muslim movements by the indigenous peoples in Syria. Finally, the Jarājima were driven out from their country by the Muslims, emigrating into Byzantine or Muslim territory.It should be confirmed that they were an armed portion of the indigenous people of the Amanus region, which controlled the passes there, and lived on compensation for maintaining garrisons, or by trade and plunder. Up until the diaspora throughout Byzantine and Muslim territory, they had been autonomous of any governing organization. This is a situation peculiar not only to the Jarājima, but also the other communities in the Thughūr region.We can find two underlying principles for the policy of the Muslims concerning the Jarājima: conciliation with some concessions and removal from the Amanus region and Muslim territory. Meanwhile, the Byzantine empire utilized of the Jarājima as a native army fighting against the Muslims. But, the Byzantines recognized them only as irregular, temporary soldiers on the periphery outside the borders. There was great contrast between the policy of the Muslims and that of the Byzantines, but the both seem to have considered the Jarājima as a people outside their political and strategic organization proper. This may be related with the ethnic character of the Jarājima.The movement of the indigenous peoples and the changes that occurred in their societies seem to have exerted a great influence on the establishment of Muslim rule in Thughūr. The history of the Jarājima shows the special character of that social change in that region of the era, and is therefore important as an excellent example of general change brought about by the expansion of the Muslims.