'Children of Sulayh') was an Ismaili Shi'ite Arab dynasty established in 1047 by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sulayhi that ruled most of historical Yemen at its peak.

[1] The regime was confederate with the Cairo-based Fatimid Caliphate, and was a constant enemy of the Rassids - the Zaidi Shi'ite rulers of Yemen throughout its existence.

Nevertheless, this regime was beaten by the resurgent indigenous Yu'firid dynasty in 916, after Ibn al-Fadl's death in 915.

The Fatimid da'i (leader) in Yemen, Sulayman az-Zawahi, befriended a young man from the mountainous region Haraz to the south-west of San'a, Ali bin Muhammad as-Sulayhi (d. 1067 or possibly 1081).

Ali as-Sulayhi was assassinated at the hands of relatives of the Najahids whom he had previously defeated; the date is variously given as 1067 or 1081.

After some years, al-Mukarram Ahmad was able to rescue his mother Asma bint Shihab who had been captured by the Najahids, and the Sulayhid armies regained much territory.

The first was Saba' bin Ahmad, a distant cousin of the Sulayhids who formally married queen Arwa.

[9] The second was Al-Mufaddal bin Abi'l-Barakat (d. 1111) who governed from at-Ta'kar, a massive mountain fortress south of the capital Jibla, and was likewise active in the field against the Najahids.

The third was Ibn Najib ad-Dawla who arrived in Yemen in 1119 from Egypt, being dispatched by the Fatimid caliph there.