History of the Jews in Khaybar

In the 7th century, Khaybar was inhabited by the Jews, who pioneered the cultivation of the oasis and made their living growing date palm trees, as well as through commerce and craftsmanship, accumulating considerable wealth. The inhabitants had stored in a redoubt at Khaybar a siege-engine , swords , lances , shields and other weaponry. In the past some scholars attempted to explain the presence of the weapons, suggesting that they were used for settling quarrels among the families of the community. Vaglieri suggests that it is more logical to assume that the weapons were stored in a depôt for future sale. Similarly the Jews kept 20 bales of cloth and 500 cloaks for sale, and other luxury goods. These commercial activities as a cause of hostility, Vaglieri argues, are similar to the economic causes behind persecutions in many other countries throughout history. Jews continued to live in the oasis for several more years afterwards until they were finally expelled by caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab . The imposition of the jizya upon the conquered Jews of the Khaybar Fortress served as a precedent. During Umar's caliphate, the Muslims conquered vast territories in the Middle East , from which they transported large numbers of captives as slaves to Arabia. The Jews of Khaybar settled in many areas throughout the Middle East , and they maintained a distinctive identity until the 12th century.¹