batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1406-l1456
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l1406-l1456
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS / THE KORAN. / PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE / SECTION I.;
lines 1406-1456
start: '1406'
end: '1456'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an)
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage surveys rulers and ruling families in Yaman, Mecca, and Medina;
emphasizes descent from Ali, Hassan, or Mohammed as a basis for noble or ruling
status; describes conflicts and partial Ottoman coastal control; and claims that
the Arabs preserved their liberty from very ancient times, resisting Assyrian,
Median, Persian, Cambyses, and Alexander's power.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Karmatians are described as a new sect holding much of the country, committing
disorders in Mecca, and receiving tribute from the Khalifs so pilgrimage could
be performed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Yaman is said to have been governed by the house of Thabateba, descended from
Ali, and later by posterity or claimants of Ali's line in Yaman and Egypt.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The present reigning family in Yaman is identified as probably that of Ayub,
retaining the titles of Khalf and Imm, while not possessing all of Yaman.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The crown of Yaman is said not to descend regularly from father to son, but
usually to the royal kinsman favored by powerful nobles or strongest in interest.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Governors of Mecca and Medina are described as being of Mohammed's race and
as having thrown off subjection to the Khalifs.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Four principal families descended from Hassan son of Ali are said to have
reigned at Mecca and Medina under the title Sharf, meaning noble.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: The kings of Yaman and the princes of Mecca and Medina are described as independent
and not subject to the Turk.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Wars among Arabian princes allowed Selim I and Soliman to take control of
Red Sea coasts and part of Yaman by means of a fleet built at Sues, but their
successors failed to maintain most conquests.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The Arabs are said to have preserved their liberty with little interruption
from the Deluge despite armies sent against them.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: Assyrian or Median empires are said never to have gained footing among the
Arabs; Persian monarchs received frankincense but could not make them tributary.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: Cambyses is said to have needed Arab permission to pass through their territories
during his expedition against Egypt.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Karmatians
description: A sect described as holding much of the country, committing outrages
in Mecca, and receiving tribute from the Khalifs.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Khalifs
description: Rulers said to have paid tribute to the Karmatians so pilgrimage could
continue, and later to have lost subjection of Mecca and Medina governors.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ali
description: Named as Mohammed's son-in-law; descent from him is used to describe
ruling houses or claimants in Yaman and Egypt.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: House of Thabateba
description: A house governing Yaman and described as descended from Ali.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Family of Ayub
description: The probable present reigning family in Yaman, retaining the titles
of Khalf and Imm.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Governors and princes of Mecca and Medina
description: Rulers described as being of Mohammed's race, independent from the
Khalifs, and later independent from the Turk.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Four Sharf families
description: Banu Kder, Banu Msa Thani, Banu Hashem, and Banu Kitda, all described
as descended from Hassan son of Ali and ruling under the title Sharf.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Selim I and Soliman
description: Ottoman rulers said to have made themselves masters of parts of Arabian
coasts and Yaman during conflicts among Arabian princes.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Arabs
description: A people described as preserving liberty from ancient times and resisting
subjection by surrounding empires.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Persian monarchs
description: Rulers described as friends respected through an annual present of
frankincense but unable to make the Arabs tributary.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Cambyses
description: A ruler described as needing Arab permission to pass through their
territories on an expedition against Egypt.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sectarian power disrupting pilgrimage
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says the Karmatians committed outrages in Mecca and were paid
tribute so pilgrimage could be performed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: overlord authority losing control
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Khalifs pay tribute in one episode and later lose subjection of Mecca
and Medina governors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: genealogical ancestor of ruling lines
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Several houses and claimants are defined by descent from Ali.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: regional ruling house
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: These figures are described as governing or reigning in Yaman, Mecca, or
Medina.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: independent political actor
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:9
basis: The rulers of Mecca and Medina and the Arabs generally are described as preserving
independence or liberty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: noble descent claimant
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The title Sharf is glossed as noble, connected with descent from Hassan son
of Ali.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: external conqueror with limited success
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Selim I and Soliman gained coastal and partial Yaman control, but their successors
did not maintain substantial conquests.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: imperial power unable to impose tribute or passage
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:11
basis: Persian monarchs could not make the Arabs tributary, and Cambyses had to
ask permission to pass through Arab territories.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: crown of Yaman
literal_form: crown
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: titles of Khalf and Imm
literal_form: royal or religious-political titles
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: title Sharf
literal_form: title meaning noble
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: frankincense present
literal_form: annual present of frankincense
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:5
label: Deluge as antiquity marker
literal_form: reference to the Deluge
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Karmatian disruption and tribute
summary: The Karmatians hold much of the country, cause disorders in Mecca, and
receive tribute from the Khalifs so pilgrimage can proceed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Genealogical rule in Yaman
summary: Yaman is described through ruling houses connected with Ali, including
Thabateba and the probable reigning family of Ayub, with succession influenced
by powerful nobles rather than direct father-to-son inheritance.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Noble families of Mecca and Medina
summary: Governors and four principal families of Mecca and Medina are described
as descended from Mohammed, Ali, or Hassan and as ruling under the title Sharf.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Limited Ottoman conquest
summary: Conflicts among Arabian princes allow Selim I and Soliman to seize coastal
areas and part of Yaman, but later Ottoman power remains limited, especially outside
Jodda.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Ancient Arab liberty against empires
summary: The Arabs are said to have preserved liberty from the time of the Deluge,
resisting Assyrian, Median, Persian, Cambyses, and Alexander's imperial power.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Legitimacy through descent from sacred or noble lineage
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Ruling houses in Yaman, Mecca, and Medina are legitimated or described through
descent from Ali, Hassan, or Mohammed, and the title Sharf is linked to noble
descent.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is historical commentary, not a mythic narrative; the motif
is political-genealogical rather than a full sacred kingship myth.
- id: motif:2
label: Election or succession by elite favor within royal blood
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The crown of Yaman is said to pass to the royal-blood prince most favored
by powerful men or with strongest interest, rather than by regular father-to-son
succession.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a political succession pattern; the passage does not present ritual
or mythic sanction.
- id: motif:3
label: Ancient unconquered people resisting empires
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Arabs are described as preserving liberty from the Deluge and avoiding
subjection by Assyrian, Median, Persian, Ottoman, and other imperial forces.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a historiographic theme rather than one of the supplied taxonomy
motif families.
- id: motif:4
label: Post-diluvian antiquity claim
taxonomy_refs:
- flood_and_renewal
basis: The passage uses the Deluge as a point from which Arab liberty is said to
extend with little interruption.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: low
cautions: The passage only alludes to the Deluge as a chronological marker and does
not narrate a flood or renewal episode.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1406-1410
quote_or_summary: Karmatians held much of the country, committed outrages in Mecca,
and received tribute from the Khalifs so pilgrimage could be performed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1411-1416
quote_or_summary: Yaman was governed by the house of Thabateba, descended from Ali,
and early rulers or claimants in Yaman and Egypt are connected with Ali's posterity.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1416-1421
quote_or_summary: The family of Ayub is described as the probable reigning family
in Yaman, retaining titles of Khalf and Imm, while other independent kingdoms
exist in Yaman.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1421-1424
quote_or_summary: The crown of Yaman usually passes to the royal-blood prince favored
by great men or strongest in influence, not regularly from father to son.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1425-1435
quote_or_summary: Mecca and Medina rulers are described as of Mohammed's race; four
families descended from Hassan son of Ali rule under the title Sharf, glossed
as noble.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1436-1439
quote_or_summary: The kings of Yaman and princes of Mecca and Medina are said to
be absolutely independent and not subject to the Turk.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1439-1447
quote_or_summary: Wars among Arabian princes allowed Selim I and Soliman to seize
Red Sea coasts and part of Yaman with a fleet from Sues, but later successors
retained little beyond Jodda with a weak Basha.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 1448-1451
quote_or_summary: The Arabs are said to have preserved liberty with little interruption
from the Deluge despite large armies sent against them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 1451-1454
quote_or_summary: Assyrian and Median empires never gained footing among the Arabs;
Persian monarchs received annual frankincense but could not make them tributary.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 1454-1456
quote_or_summary: Cambyses is said to have needed Arab permission to pass through
their territories during his expedition against Egypt; the passage begins to compare
Arab lack of fear of Alexander.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is largely historical-geographical commentary, so motif extraction
is limited to genealogical legitimacy, sovereignty, and the brief Deluge allusion.
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not develop a
comparative mythological argument.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Names and transliterations preserved as supplied, including archaic or inconsistent spellings.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l1406-l1456
passage_sha256=e00e867c887d32e39a439375e9792fb6bbe44c1c49937f1a0cfd366992931f79