Tribes of Arabia

Thetribes of Arabia(Arabic:قبائل الجزيرة العربية) orArab tribes(القبائل العربية) denoteArabtribesoriginating in theArabian Peninsula,who according to tradition trace theirancestryto one of the two Arab forefathers,AdnanorQahtan.

Arab tribes in the Arabian Peninsula in 600 AD

Historically, Arab tribes have inhabited the Arabian Peninsula. However, with thespread of Islam,they started migrating and settling in various regions, including theLevant,Mesopotamia,Egypt,Sudan,theMaghreb,andKhuzestan.

These areas collectively form what is known as theArab world,excluding Khuzestan. Arab tribes have significantly influenced demographic shifts in this region, leading to the growth of theArab population.Additionally, they have played a vital role in the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, andgeneticArabizationof the Levant and North Africa.

A map drawn by Harold Dixon showing the homes of the Arab tribes

Arab genealogical tradition

The general consensus among 14th-century Arabgenealogistsis that Arabs are of three kinds:

• Al-Arab al-Ba'ida(Arabic:العرب البائدة), "The Extinct Arabs", were an ancient group of tribes inpre-Islamic Arabiathat included the‘Ād,theThamud,theTasm,the Jadis, thelaq (who included branches ofBanu al-Samayda), and others. The Jadis and the Tasm are said to have been exterminated bygenocide.TheQuransays that the disappearance of the 'Ad and Thamud came about due to their decadence. Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered inscriptions that reference 'Iram, once a major city of the 'Aad.
• Al-Arab al-Ariba(Arabic:العرب العاربة), "The Pure Arabs", came fromQahtanite Arabs.
• Al-Arab al-Mustarabah(Arabic:العرب المستعربة), “The Arabized Arabs”, also known as theAdnanite Arabs,were the progeny ofIsmail,the firstborn son of the patriarchAbraham.

A family tree depicting the descendants of the Banu Adnan.

TheHawazintribe and theQurayshtribe are considered‘Adnani Arabs.Much of the lineage provided beforeMa'adrelies onbiblical genealogy,so questions persist concerning the accuracy of this segment of Adnanite Arab genealogy.Adnanites are believed to be the descendants of Ishmael through Adnan but the traditional Adnanite lineage does not match the biblical line exactly. According to Arab tradition, the Adnanites are called Arabised because it is believed that Ishmael spokeAramaicandEgyptianthen learnt Arabic from a Qahtanite Yemeni woman that he married. Therefore, the Adnanites are descendants of Abraham. Modern historiography "unveiled the lack of inner coherence of this genealogical system and demonstrated that it finds insufficient matching evidence".

Pre-Islamic History

Main articles:History of the ArabsandBedouin

The tribes of Arabia were engaged innomadic herdingand agriculture by around 6,000 BCE. By about 1,200 BCE, a complex network of settlements and camps was established. Kingdoms in the southern region of Arabia began to form and flourish. The earliest Arab tribes emerged fromBedouins.A major source of income for these people was the taxation of caravans, as well as tributes collected from non-Bedouin settlements. They also earned income by transporting goods and people in caravans pulled by domesticated camels across the desert.Scarcity of water and of permanent pastoral land required them to move constantly.

TheNabataeansandQedariteswere Arabian tribes on the edges of the fertile Crescent who expanded into the Southern Levant by the 5th century BCE, causing the displacement ofEdomites.Their inscriptions were in predominantly inAramaic,but it's assumed their native spoken language was a variant ofOld Arabic,one of manyAncient North Arabianlanguages, which is attested in inscriptions as early as the 1st century,the same period in which theNabataean alphabetslowly evolved into theArabic scriptby the 6th century.This is attested bySafaiticinscriptions (beginning in the 1st century BCE) and the many Arabic personal names in other Nabataean inscriptions. From about the 2nd century BCE, a few inscriptions fromQaryat al-Fawreveal a dialect no longer consideredproto-Arabic,butpre-classical Arabic.FiveSyriacinscriptions mentioning Arabs have been found atSumatar Harabesi,one of which dates to the 2nd century CE.

TheGhassanids,LakhmidsandKinditeswere the last major migration of pre-Islamic Arabs out of Yemen to the north. The Ghassanids increased the Arabian presence in theSyria,They mainly settled in theHauranregion and spread to modern-dayLebanon,Israel,Palestine,andJordan.

Around the 4th century CE, there developed a dominantJewish presence in pre-Islamic Arabia,with many Jewish Clans and tribes settling around theRed Seacoast. At the mid to the end of the fourth century, theHimyarite Kingdomadopted Judaism, thus spreading Judaism in the region even further. The German OrientalistFerdinand Wüstenfeldbelieved that the Jews established a state in northern Hejaz.The Quran details early encounters between early Muslim tribes and Jewish tribes in major cities in western Arabia, with some clans likeBanu QurayzaandBanu Nadirbeing described as having a seat of power in the region.

Medieval Migrations

Following theearly Muslim conquestsin the 7th and 8th centuries, the tribes of Arabia begun migrating beyond the Arabian Peninsula in large numbers into different lands and regions across the Middle and North Africa.

Middle East

Migration to the Levant

Main article:Arab migrations to the Levant

On the eve of theRashidun Caliphate'sconquest of the Levant,634 AD, Syria's population mainly spoke Aramaic; Greek was the official language of administration.ArabizationandIslamizationof Syria began in the 7th century, and it took several centuries for Islam, the Arab identity, and language to spread;the Arabs of the caliphate did not attempt to spread their language or religion in the early periods of the conquest, and formed an isolated aristocracy.The Arabs of the caliphate accommodated many new tribes in isolated areas to avoid conflict with the locals; caliphUthmanordered his governor,Muawiyah I,to settle the new tribes away from the original population.Syrians who belonged toMonophysiticdenominations welcomed the peninsular Arabs as liberators.

Migration to Mesopotamia

See also:Arab tribes of Iraq

The migration of Arab tribes toMesopotamiabegan in the seventh century, and by the late 20th century constituted about three quarters of the population ofIraq.A large Arab migration to Mesopotamia followed theMuslim conquest of Mesopotamiain 634, which saw an increase in the culture and ideals of the Bedouins in the region.The second Arab tribal migration tonorthern Mesopotamiawas in the 10th century when theBanu Numayrmigrated there.

Migration to Persia

Main articles:History of the Arabs in Iran,Iranian Arabs,andKhuzestani Arabs

After theArab conquest of Persiain the 7th century, many Arab tribes settled in different parts of Iran, notablyKhorasanandAhwaz,it is the Arab tribes ofKhuzestanthat have retained their identity in language and culture to the present day while other Arabs especially in Khorasan were slowly Persianised. Khorasani Arabs were mainly contingent from Nejdi tribes such asBanu Tamim.

There was a great influx of Arab tribes into Khuzestan from the 16th to the 19th century, including the migration of theBanu Ka'bandBanu Lamfrom theArabian desert.Tribalismis a significant characteristic of Arab population in Khuzestan.

Subsequent Arab migrations into Iran, primarily across the Gulf, involved movements of Arabs from eastern Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States into the Hormozgan and Fars provinces after the 16th century. These include SunniHuwalaandAchomi people,who compromise of both fully Arab and mixed Arab-Persian families. The Arabs on the Iranian side of the Gulf tend to speak a dialect much closer toGulf Arabicopposed to theKhuzestani Arabicwhich is closer toIraqi Arabic.

North Africa

Migration to Egypt

Arab conquests622 AD to 750 AD

Ancient Bedouins and nomadic groups inhabited theSinai Peninsula,located inAsia,ever since ancient times. Prior to theMuslim conquest of Egypt,Egypt was underGreek and Roman influence.Under theUmayyad Caliphate,Arabic became the official language in Egypt rather thanCopticorGreek.Thecaliphatealso allowed the migration of Arab tribes to Egypt.The Muslim governor of Egypt encouraged the migration of tribes from the Arabian Peninsula to Egypt to strengthen his regime by enlisting warrior tribesmen to his forces, encouraging them to bring their families and entire clans.TheFatimidera was the peak of Bedouin Arab tribal migrations to Egypt.

Migration to the Maghreb

Main article:Arab migrations to the Maghreb

The first wave of Arab immigration to the Maghreb began with theconquest of the Maghrebin the 7th century, with the migration of sedentary and nomadic Arabs to the Maghreb from the Arabian Peninsula.Arab tribes such asBanu Muzainamigrated, and the Arab Muslims in the region had more impact on the culture of the Maghreb than the region's conquerors before and after them.The major migration to the region by Arab tribes was in the 11th century when the tribes ofBanu HilalandBanu Sulaym,along with others, were sent by the Fatimids to defeat aBerberrebellion and then settle in the Maghreb.These tribes advanced in large numbers all the way toMorocco,contributing to a more extensive ethnic, genetic, cultural, and linguistic Arabization in the region.The Arab tribes ofMaqilmigrated to the Maghreb a century later and even immigrated southwards toMauritania.Beni Hassandefeated both Berbers and Black Africans in the region, pushing them southwards to theSenegal riverwhile the Arab tribes settled in Mauritania.The Arab descendants of the original Arabian settlers who continue to speak Arabic as a first language currently form the single largest population group in North Africa.

Migration of Arab tribes into Sudan

Migration to Sudan

In the 12th century, the ArabJa'alin tribemigrated intoNubiaand Sudan and formerly occupied the country on both banks of theNilefromKhartoumtoAbu Hamad.They trace their lineage toAbbas,uncle of the Islamic prophetMuhammad.They are of Arab origin, but now of mixed blood mostly withNilo-SaharansandNubians.Other Arab tribes migrated into Sudan in the 12th century and intermarried with the indigenous populations, forming theSudanese Arabs.In 1846, many ArabRashaidamigrated fromHejazin present-day Saudi Arabia into what is nowEritreaand north-east Sudan after tribal warfare had broken out in their homeland. The Rashaida of Sudan and Eritrea live in close proximity with theBeja people.Large numbers ofBani Rasheedare also found on the Arabian Peninsula. They are related to theBanu Abstribe.

The Great Skulls of Arabia

According to Arab traditions, tribes are divided into different divisions called Arab skulls (جماجم العرب‎), which is a term given to a group of tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, which are described in the traditional custom of strength, abundance, victory, and honor. A number of them branched out, which later became independent tribes (sub-tribes). They are called "Skulls" because it is thought that the skull is the most important part of the body, and the majority of Arab tribes are descended from these major tribes.

They are:

• Bakr,has descendants inArabiaandIraq.
• Kinanah,has descendants inArabia,Iraq,Egypt,Sudan,Palestine,Tunisia,Morocco,andSyriaandYemen.
• Hawazin,has descendants inArabia,Libya,Algeria,Morocco,Sudan,andIraq.
• Tamim,has descendants inArabia,Iraq,Iran,Palestine,Algeria,andMorocco
• Azd,has descendants inArabia,Iraq,Levant,andNorth Africa.
• Ghatafan,has descendants inArabiaand theMaghreb.
• Madhhij,has descendants inArabia,SyriaandIraq.
• Abd al-Qays,has descendants inArabia.
• Al Qays,has descendants inArabia,SyriaandIraq.
• Quda'a,has descendants inArabia,Syria,andNorth Africa.

See also

• Tribes of Yemen
• Iranian Arabs
• Arab tribes in Iraq

External links

• The dwelling places and wanderings of the Arabian tribes, by Heinrich Ferdinand Wüstenfeld, in German