Qahtan

Qahtan (Arabic: قحطان) is a legendary patriarch in Arab genealogical tradition, regarded as the progenitor of the Qaḥṭānīya, the southern branch of the Arabs. In traditional sources, Qahtan is described as living in the southern Arabian Peninsula and as the ancestor of numerous tribes that formed the South Arabian cultural sphere, including the Sabaeans, Hadhrami, and Himyarites.

In Arab historiography, Qahtanites are contrasted with Adnanites, northern Arabs who are said to descend from Adnan, a figure linked in legend to Ishmael. The Qahtani–Adnanī dichotomy is a conventional framework in genealogical literature and not a universally accepted historical division.

Role and legacy: The name Qahtan appears in the genealogies of various South Arabian tribes and is used as a designation for southern Arab origin. In contemporary Yemen and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, Qahtani identities are part of tribal and regional self-definition.

Historical veracity: Qahtan is generally regarded by historians as a legendary or semi-legendary figure rather than a verifiable historical person. The stories surrounding him reflect traditional attempts to trace lineage and origin myths rather than established historical records.