The tribes of Arabia (
Arabic: قبائل الجزيرة العربية) or Arab tribes (القبائل العربية) denote ethnic
Arabtribes originating in the
Arabian Peninsula. These tribes trace their
ancestry to one of the two Arab forefathers,
Adnan or
Qahtan.[1]
These areas collectively form what is known as the "
Arab world," excluding Khuzestan. Arab tribes have significantly influenced demographic shifts in this region, leading to the growth of the
Arab population.[8] Additionally, they have played a vital role in the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and
geneticArabization of the Levant and North Africa.[9]
Arab genealogical tradition
The general consensus among 14th-century Arab
genealogists is that Arabs are of three kinds:
Al-Arab al-Ba'ida (Arabic: العرب البائدة), "The Extinct Arabs", were an ancient group of tribes in
pre-Islamic Arabia that included the
‘Ād, the
Thamud, the
Tasm, the Jadis, thelaq (who included branches of
Banu al-Samayda), and others. The Jadis and the Tasm are said to have been exterminated by
genocide.[10] The
Quran says 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 from
Qahtanite Arabs.[11][12]
Al-Arab al-Mustarabah (Arabic: العرب المستعربة), “The Arabized Arabs”, also known as the
Adnanite Arabs, were the progeny of
Ismail, the firstborn son of the patriarch
Abraham.
The
Hawazin tribe and the
Quraysh tribe are considered
‘Adnani Arabs. Much of the lineage provided before
Ma'ad relies on
biblical genealogy, so questions persist concerning the accuracy of this segment of Adnanite Arab genealogy.[13] 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 spoke
Aramaic and
Egyptian then 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".[14]
History
Early history
The tribes of Arabia engaged in
nomadic herding and agriculture since 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 from
Bedouins.[15] A major source of income for these people was the taxation of caravans, and tributes collected from non-Bedouin settlements. They also earned income by transporting goods and people in caravans pulled by domesticated camels across the desert.[16] Scarcity of water and of permanent pastoral land required them to move constantly.[citation needed]
The
Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who moved into territory vacated by the
Edomites –
Semites who settled the region centuries before them. Their early inscriptions were in
Aramaic, but gradually switched to Arabic, and since they had writing, it was they who made the first inscriptions in Arabic. The
Nabataean alphabet was adopted by Arabs to the south, and evolved into modern Arabic script around the 4th century. This is attested by
Safaitic inscriptions (beginning in the 1st century BCE) and the many Arabic personal names in Nabataean inscriptions. From about the 2nd century BCE, a few inscriptions from
Qaryat al-Faw reveal a dialect no longer considered proto-Arabic, but pre-classical Arabic. Five
Syriac inscriptions mentioning Arabs have been found at
Sumatar Harabesi, one of which dates to the 2nd century CE.[citation needed]
The
Ghassanids,
Lakhmids and
Kindites were the last major migration of pre-Islamic Arabs out of Yemen to the north. The Ghassanids increased the Semitic presence in the then Hellenized
Syria, the majority of Semites were Aramaic peoples. They mainly settled in the
Hauran region and spread to modern
Lebanon,
Palestine and
Jordan.[citation needed]
Migration to Egypt
Ancient Bedouins and nomadic groups inhabited the
Sinai Peninsula,[17] located in
Asia, ever since ancient times.
Prior to the
Muslim conquest of Egypt, Egypt was under
Greek and Roman influence. Under the
Umayyad Caliphate, Arabic became the official language in Egypt rather than
Coptic or
Greek. The
caliphate also allowed the migration of Arab tribes to Egypt.[18] 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. The
Fatimid era was the peak of Bedouin Arab tribal migrations to Egypt.[19]
Migration to the Levant
On the eve of the
Rashidun Caliphate's
conquest of the Levant, 634 AD, Syria's population mainly spoke Aramaic; Greek was the official language of administration.
Arabization and
Islamization of Syria began in the 7th century, and it took several centuries for Islam, the Arab identity, and language to spread;[20] 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.[21] The Arabs of the caliphate accommodated many new tribes in isolated areas to avoid conflict with the locals; caliph
Uthman ordered his governor,
Muawiyah I, to settle the new tribes away from the original population.[22] Syrians who belonged to
Monophysitic denominations welcomed the peninsular Arabs as liberators.[23]
Migration to the Maghreb
The first wave of Arab immigration to the Maghreb began with the
conquest of the Maghreb in the 7th century, with the migration of sedentary and nomadic Arabs to the Maghreb from the Arabian Peninsula.[24] Arab tribes such as
Banu Muzaina migrated, 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.[25] The major migration to the region by Arab tribes was in the 11th century when the tribes of
Banu Hilal and
Banu Sulaym, along with others, were sent by the Fatimids to defeat a
Berber rebellion and then settle in the Maghreb.[25] These tribes advanced in large numbers all the way to
Morocco, contributing to a more extensive ethnic, genetic, cultural, and linguistic Arabization in the region.[26] The Arab tribes of
Maqil migrated to the Maghreb a century later and even immigrated southwards to
Mauritania.
Beni Hassan defeated both Berbers and Black Africans in the region, pushing them southwards to the
Senegal river while the Arab tribes settled in Mauritania.[27] 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.[28]
Migration to Mesopotamia
The migration of Arab tribes to
Mesopotamia began in the seventh century, and by the late 20th century constituted about three quarters of the population of
Iraq.[29] A large Arab migration to Mesopotamia followed the
Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia in 634, which saw an increase in the culture and ideals of the Bedouins in the region.[30] The second Arab tribal migration to
northern Mesopotamia was in the 10th century when the
Banu Numayr migrated there.[31]
Migration to Sudan
In the 12th century, the Arab
Ja'alin tribe migrated into
Nubia and Sudan and formerly occupied the country on both banks of the
Nile from
Khartoum to
Abu Hamad. They trace their lineage to
Abbas, uncle of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad. They are of Arab origin, but now of mixed blood mostly with
Nilo-Saharans and
Nubians.[32][33] Other Arab tribes migrated into Sudan in the 12th century and intermarried with the indigenous populations, forming the
Sudanese Arabs.[5] In 1846, many Arab
Rashaida migrated from
Hejaz in present-day Saudi Arabia into what is now
Eritrea and north-east Sudan after tribal warfare had broken out in their homeland. The Rashaida of Sudan and Eritrea live in close proximity with the
Beja people. Large numbers of
Bani Rasheed are also found on the Arabian Peninsula. They are related to the
Banu Abs tribe.[34]
Migration to Iran
After the
Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century, many Arab tribes settled in different parts of Iran, notably
Khorasan and
Ahwaz, it is the Arab tribes of
Khuzestan that have retained their identity in language and culture to the present day while other Arabs especially in Khurasan were slowly Persianised. Khurusani Arabs were mainly contingent from Nejdi tribes such as
Banu Tamim.
There was a great influx of Arab tribes into Khuzestan from the 16th to the 19th century, including the migration of the
Banu Ka'b and
Banu Lam from the
Arabian desert.[35][36]Tribalism is a significant characteristic of Arab population in Khuzestan.[37]
Other later Arab migrations in Iran include the mostly cross Gulf migrations of Arabs into
Hormozgan and
Fars provinces from modern day eastern Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, post 16th century. These include Sunni
Huwala and
Achomi 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 to
Gulf Arabic opposed to the
Khuzestani Arabic which is closer to
Iraqi Arabic.
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.[38][39][40][41][42]
^in general: W. Caskel, Ġamharat an-Nasab, das genealogische Werk des Hišām Ibn Muḥammad al-Kalbī, Leiden 1966.
^Parolin, Gianluca P. (2009). Citizenship in the Arab World: Kin, Religion and Nation-State. Amsterdam University Press. p. 30.
ISBN978-9089640451. "The ‘arabicised or arabicising Arabs’, on the contrary, are believed to be the descendants of Ishmael through Adnan, but in this case the genealogy does not match the Biblical line exactly. The label ‘arabicised’ is due to the belief that Ishmael spoke Aramaic and Egyptian until he married a Yemeni woman and learnt Arabic. Both genealogical lines go back to Sem, son of Noah, but only Adnanites can claim Abraham as their ascendant, and the lineage of Mohammed, the Seal of Prophets (khatim al-anbiya'), can therefore be traced back to Abraham. Contemporary historiography unveiled the lack of inner coherence of this genealogical system and demonstrated that it finds insufficient matching evidence; the distinction between Qahtanites and Adnanites is even believed to be a product of the Umayyad Age, when the war of factions (al-niza al-hizbi) was raging in the young Islamic Empire."
^Nelson, Harold D. (1985).
Morocco, a Country Study. Headquarters, Department of the Army. p. 14.
Archived from the original on 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
^Lombardo, Jennifer (2021-12-15).
Mauritania. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. p. 27.
ISBN978-1-5026-6305-4.
Archived from the original on 2022-08-26. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
^Shoup, John (2011). Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Publishers. p. 16.
ISBN978-1598843620.