A war that lasted 40 years and the reason was a camel?

The Basus War is one of the ancient wars that took place before Islam between Arab tribes, where the war lasted 40 years between two tribes over a camel, as it was one of the longest and strangest wars .

Parties and personalities of the Bassous War:

There was a war between two tribes for forty years between the Taghlib tribe, represented by King Kulaib bin Rabia, Al-Zeer Al-Salem, who is Al-Muhalhal bin Rabia, who is the brother of King Kulaib bin Rabia, and the Bakr tribe, represented by Jassas bin Murra, and his aunt Al-Basus, daughter of Al-Munqidh, and the camel of Al-Basus, and Al-Jalila, Jassas’s sister and the wife of King Kulaib bin Rabia .

Period and place of the Basus War:

The Al-Basus War took place between the Taghlib tribes and the Bakr tribes in the Arabian Peninsula in the Hijaz region, and the war continued for forty years, and according to what history books documented, it is said that it took place between the year 494 to the year 534 years AD, that is, before the advent of Islam, that is, during the time of pre-Islamic Arabs .

Events of the Bassus War :

Kulaib bin Rabia was the king of the Arabs in that period, and it is said that Kulaib bin Rabia was crowned king when he led the Wael tribes, that is, all the tribes from Wael’s branches, in his war against the tribes of Yemen and was victorious in his war . The character of Kulaib bin Rabia is a strong character, but he is an unfair character in his rule of the Arabs, and he was known for his extreme jealousy, as Jassas bin Murra was also strong, and his venerable sister, the king’s wife, was very proud of him. The Bakr tribe lived at the mercy of the Taghlib tribes, as they controlled the water and pastures, and they did not graze except with the approval of the king .

Main spark of war :

Al-basous bint Munqidh was visiting her venerable nephew, Jassas bin Murra, and she had a camel with her. When the camel was grazing, she went to the well of the Taghlib tribe to drink water from there when Kulaib learned that a camel from the Bakr tribe was grazing and drinking without his permission, and he killed the camel . Al-Basus, Jassas’s aunt, was angry at the killing of her camel and asked Jassas to avenge the killing of the camel, as it was an opportunity to restore the place of the Bakr tribe and end the tyranny and injustice of Kulaib’s rule. Jassas waited for Kulaib and killed him, so war broke out over Kulaib’s killing, so the Taghlib tribe fought the Bakr tribe to avenge the killing of its king, Kulaib bin Rabia, so he led the war. Al-Muhalhal bin Rabia to avenge the killing of his brother, the king. Al-Zeer Salem was brave and brave, so he succeeded in avenging the killing of his brother, the king. Al-Zeer Salem was brave and commanding, so he succeeded in avenging the killing of his brother ،The fighting between the two tribes was originally cousins, and the evidence is that the king married Jassas’ sister, meaning there are ties. The fighting continued for forty years, which was ignited by strife, and dignity was wasted as fuel for war .

Result of the Basus War:

It was the victory of the Taghlib tribe over the Bakr tribe when the sleazy Al-Jassas bin Murra was killed, and when he was killed, Taghlib’s dignity was restored, and the extent of human losses between the two tribes was great .

In the end, this war is considered one of the most famous wars in the pre-Islamic era and enjoys historical fame among the Arabs because of its strangeness and events