A recent article in the journal Science explores the link between weather patterns in Arabia during the sixth century and the rise of Islam. Analyzing speleothems, the authors show that the peninsula suffered from extreme aridity during the period between around 500 and 530 CE. This drought helped weaken the Himyarite Kingdom, which was invaded and annexed by Aksum in 525. The ensuing social and political upheavals frame the rise of Islam in ways that shaped its later expansion. Read the full article here.
Climate History Network