Al Tunaij
Al Tunaij Arabic:الطنيج | |
---|---|
Arab tribe | |
Ethnicity | Arab |
Location | United Arab Emirates |
Language | Arabic |
Religion | Islam |
TheTunaij(Arabic:الطنيج), also spelled as Tanaij (singular TunaijiArabic:الطنيجي), is an Arab tribe in theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE).[1]The Tunaij have mostly settled inDhaid,the inland oasis town ofSharjah,and theRas Al Khaimahtown ofRams.[2][3]A small number of Tunaij also settled atHamriyah.[4]
At the turn of the 19th century, there were some 4,000 Tunaij in the Northern Emirates, of whom 1,500 wereBedouin.Influential in tribal politics because they could raise a force of some 500 fighting men,[1]the Bedouin Tunaij used Dhaid as a centre and a fortified tower protected the 70-odd Tunaij houses there (theNa'immaintained a similar arrangement at Dhaid). The Tunaij have been linked to theBani Qitab.[5]
The Tunaij of Rams were mostly involved in pearl fishing and, during the pearling season, both Bedouin Tunaij and Shihuh would come to the coast to work as seasonal labour.[6]
References
[edit]- ^abHeard-Bey, Frauke (2005).From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: a society in transition.London: Motivate. p. 75.ISBN1860631673.OCLC64689681.
- ^United Arab Emirates Land Ownership and Agriculture Laws Handbook.International Business Publications. 2015.ISBN978-1438760193.[permanent dead link]
- ^Donald Hawley (1970).The Trucial States.Ardent Media. p. 294.ISBN0049530054.
- ^Lorimer, John (1915).Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf.British Government, Bombay. p. 1858.
- ^William Lancaster; Fidelity Lancaster (2011).Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE).Walter de Gruyter. p. 14.ISBN978-3110223392.
- ^Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005).From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: a society in transition.London: Motivate. p. 459.ISBN1860631673.OCLC64689681.