History of the Jews in Saudi Arabia

The history of the Jews in the territory of modern Saudi Arabia begins in Biblical times, at least as early as Solomon's Temple. Some have estimated that there are about 3,000 Jews currently residing in the country. The first mention of Jews in the areas of modern-day Saudi Arabia dates back, by some accounts, to the time of the First Temple. Immigration to the Arabian Peninsula began in earnest in the 2nd century CE, and by the 6th and 7th centuries there was a considerable Jewish population in Hejaz, mostly in and around Medina. This was in part due to the embrace of Judaism by such leaders as Dhu Nuwas; who was very aggressive about converting his subjects to Judaism. Nuwas persecuted Christians in his kingdom as a reaction to the Christian persecution of Jews by the local Christians and Abu Karib Asad. In 523, the Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas (Dunaan), who had converted to Judaism, massacred the Christians there. According to Al-Masudi the northern part of Hejaz was a dependency of the Kingdom of Judah, and according to Butrus al-Bustani the Jews in Hejaz established a sovereign state. The German orientalist Ferdinand Wüstenfeld believed that the Jews established a state in northern Hejaz. There were three main Jewish tribes in Medina before the rise of Islam in Arabia: the Banu Nadir, the Banu Qainuqa, and the Banu Qurayza. Banu Nadir was hostile to Muhammad's new religion. Other Jewish tribes lived relatively peacefully under Muslim rule. Banu Nadir, the Banu Qainuqa, and the Banu Qurayza lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib until the 7th century, when the men were executed and the women and children were enslaved after they allegedly betrayed the pact they made with the Muslims following the Invasion of Banu Qurayza by Muslim armies led by Muhammad. Banu Alfageer Banu Awf Banu Harith or Bnei Chorath Banu Jusham Banu Quda'a Banu Shutayba A historical journey to visit far-flung Jewish communities was undertaken by Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela from 1165 to 1173 that crossed and tracked some of the areas that are located in present-day Saudi Arabia.