A power vacuum caused by an extreme drought 1,500 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula led to political unrest, war, and societal change. The Rise and Collapse of the Himyarite Kingdom: Drought and WarsResearchers from the University of Basel explored the remaining traces of the Himyarite Kingdom, still found on the plateaus of Yemen. Just 40 years later, in 570, the Himyarite kingdom would collapse under pressure from the neighboring kingdom of Aksum (modern-day Ethiopia). Fleitmann explains that the data unto itself was insufficient in explaining a direct correlation between the drought and the fall of the Himyarite kingdom. Fleitmann was quick to add that this study does not in any way suggest that drought was the prime mover of 6th and 7th century Islam.

Source: Forbes June 18, 2022 22:00 UTC